PROPERTY  OF 
iG.  HOEPFNER 


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THE  LIFE  OF 


BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


.it 


BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


THE  LIFE  OF 


Benvenuto  Cellini 


NEWLY  TRANSLATED  INTO  ENGLISH 


JOHN  ADDINGTON  SYMONDS 


FIFTH  EDITION 


WITH  MEZZOTINT  PORTRAIT,  AND 
SIXTEEN  REPRODUCTIONS  OF 
CELLINI’S  WORKS 


CHARLES  SCRIBNER’S  SONS 

153-157  FIFTH  AVENUE 
1903 


All  rights  reserved 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


1 Mezzotint  Portrait  of  Cellini  . . Frontispiece 


PAGE 


2,  Coffer  in  Gold,  Silver,  and  Tortoise-shell. 

Palazzo  Balbi,  Genoa. 

The  Cellini  Ewer,  Mounted  in  Enamelled 
Gold,  and  Set  with  Gems. 

Collection  ofA.J.  Beresford-Hope,  M.P. 

Antique  Ganymede  Restored  by  Cellini. 

Uffizi,  Florence To  face  48 

3.  Shield  and  Helmet  ascribed  to  Cellini. 

Palazzo  del  Bargello,  Florence. 

Cup  ascribed  to  Cellini. 


After  a Drawing  at  Florence  . 


80 


4.  Silver  Medallion— Death  of  Medusa 


Vatican. 


Bas-relief — Perseus  and  Andromeda 


128 


5.  Medallion— The  Triumph  of  Charles  V. 


Vatican. 


Candelabra. 

S.  Maria  di  Carignano,  Genoa 


192 


vi  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

6.  The  Nymppi  of  Fontainebleau. 

Louvre. 

Cup  belonging  to  the  Duchesse  d’Etampes. 

Ujffizi^  Florence To  face 


7.  Salt-cellar. 

Vienna. 

Medallion— Gigantomachia. 

Vatican  .... 

8.  Bust  of  Cosimo  de’  Medici. 

Palazzo  del  Bargello,  Florence 


9,  Wax  Model  for  the  Perseus. 

Palazzo  del  Bargello,  Florence. 


PAGE 


288 


320 


368 


The  Perseus. 

Loggia  de'  Lanzi,  Florence 


416 


TRANSLATOR'S  PREFACE 


TO  THIRD  EDITION 


Two  editions  of  my  Translation  of  Cellini’s  AUTOBIO- 
GRAPHY, both  of  them  in  two  volumes,  have  been  exhausted 
during  the  space  of  less  than  twelve  months.  The  interest 
taken  by  the  British  and  American  public  in  this  work  has 
induced  the  publisher  to  bring  out  a third  edition  in  one 
volume  and  at  a cheaper  price,  whereby  it  will  be  placed 
within  the  reach  of  a still  larger  circle  of  buyers.  This 
is  highly  gratifying  to  myself  as  the  translator.  It  is  also 
creditable  to  the  taste  of  thousands  of  English-speaking 
readers,  who  have  been  able  to  appreciate  a book,  which 
is  certainly  an  Italian  classic,  but  which  deals  with  matters 
remote  from  the  daily  business  of  our  epoch.  Neither 
public  nor  private  criticism  has  detected  such  errors  in 
my  work  as  need  correction.  I shall  therefore  allow  the 
text  of  the  second  edition  to  stand  unaltered,  and  desire 
for  the  students  of  this  translation  no  less  pleasure  and 
profit  than  I had  in  making  it. 

JOHN  ADDINGTON  SYMONDS 


Davos  Platz, 

January  1889. 


PREFATORY  NOTE 


TO  SECOND  EDITION 


After  the  lapse  of  less  than  three  months  a second  edition 
of  this  book  was  called  for,  proving  that  it  had  found  favour 
with  the  public  both  in  England  and  America.  Some  few 
typographical  errors  are  rectified  in  the  new  edition ; and 
I have  translated  the  original  sonnet  which  Cellini  prefixed 
to  his  autobiography.  With  these  exceptions,  no  alterations 
of  any  importance  have  been  made.  The  reception  granted 
to  my  part  of  the  work  by  numerous  critics  and  reviewers 
emboldens  me  to  think  that  the  translation  is  not  in  need 
of  immediate  revision. 

JOHN  ADDINGTON  SYMONDS. 


Davos  Platz, 

February  1888, 


INTRODUCTION 


The  translator  of  an  autobiography,  especially  if  it  be 
a long  one  like  Cellini’s,  or  like  Rousseau’s  Confessions^ 
enjoys  very  special  opportunities  for  becoming  acquainted 
with  the  mind  and  temper  of  its  writer.  No  other  method 
of  study,  however  conscientious,  can  be  compared  in  this 
particular  respect  with  the  method  of  translation ; in  no 
other  way  is  it  possible  to  get  such  knowledge  of  a man’s 
mental  and  emotional  habits,  to  judge  the  value  of  his 
accent  and  intonation  so  accurately,  or  to  form  by  gradual 
and  subtle  processes  so  sympathetic  a conception  of  his 
nature.  The  translator  is  obliged  to  live  for  weeks  and 
months  in  close  companionship  with  his  author.  He  must 
bend  his  own  individuality  to  the  task  of  expressing  what 
is  characteristic  in  that  of  another.  He  tastes  and  analyses 
every  turn  of  phrase  in  order  to  discover  its  exact  sig- 
nificance. He  taxes  the  resources  of  his  own  language, 
so  far  as  these  may  be  at  his  command,  to  reproduce  the 
most  evasive  no  less  than  the  most  salient  expressions  of 
the  text  before  him.  In  the  case  even  of  a poem  or  a 
dissertation,  he  ought,  upon  this  method,  to  arrive  at  more 
precise^  conclusions  than  the  student  who  has  only  been  a 
reader.  But  when  the  text  is  a self-revelation,  when  it  is 
a minute  and  voluminous  autobiography,  he  will  have  done 
little  short  of  living  himself  for  awhile  into  the  personality 
of  another.  Supposing  him  at  the  same  time  to  be  pos- 
sessed of  any  discernment,  he  will  be  able  afterwards  to 
speak  of  the  man  whose  spirit  he  has  attempted  to  convey, 
with  the  authority  of  one  who  has  learned  to  know  him 
inhis  et  in  cute — bones,  marrow,  flesh,  and  superficies.  Nor 
is  the  translator  exposed  to  the  biographer’s  v/eakness  for 

ix  ^ 


X 


INTRODUCTION 


overvaluing  his  subject.  He  pretends  to  no  discoveries, 
has  taken  no  brief  for  or  against  the  character  it  is  his 
duty  to  reproduce,  has  set  up  no  full-length  portrait  on  the 
literary  easel,  to  be  painted  by  the  aid  of  documents,  and 
with  a certain  preconceived  conception  of  pictorial  harmony. 
In  so  far  as  it  is  possible  to  enter  into  personal  intercourse 
with  any  one  whose  voice  we  have  not  heard,  whose 
physical  influences  we  have  not  been  affected  by,  in  whose 
living  presence  we  have  not  thought,  and  felt,  and  acted, 
in  so  far  the  translator  of  a book  like  Cellini’s  Memoirs  or 
Rousseau’s  Confessions  can  claim  to  be  familiar  and  intimate 
with  its  author. 


II 

I have  recently  put  myself  into  these  very  confidential 
relations  with  Cellini,  having  made  the  completely  new 
English  version  of  his  autobiography  to  which  the  follow- 
ing pages  serve  as  introduction.  I think  that  I am  there- 
fore justified  in  once  more  handling  a somewhat  hackneyed 
subject,  and  in  rectifying  what  I have  previously  published 
concerning  it.^ 

A book  which  the  great  Goethe  thought  worthy  of 
translating  into  German  with  the  pen  of  Faust  and  Wilhelm 
Meister,  a book  which  Auguste  Comte  placed  upon  his  very 
limited  list  for  the  perusal  of  reformed  humanity,  is  one 
with  which  we  have  the  right  to  be  occupied,  not  once  or 
twice,  but  over  and  over  again.  It  cannot  lose  its  fresh- 
ness. What  attracted  the  encyclopaedic  minds  of  men  so 
different  as  Comte  and  Goethe  to  its  pages  still  remains 
there.  This  attractive  or  compulsive  quality,  to  put  the 
matter  briefly,  is  the  flesh  and  blood  reality  of  Cellini’s 
self-delineation.  A man  stands  before  us  in  his  Memoirs 
unsophisticated,  unembellished,  with  all  his  native  faults 
upon  him,  and  with  all  his  potent  energies  portrayed  in 
the  veracious  manner  of  Velasquez,  with  bold  strokes  and 
animated  play  of  light  and  colour.  No  one  was  less  in- 
trospective than  this  child  of  the  Italian  Renaissance.  No 
one  was  less  occupied  with  thoughts  about  thinking  or  with 
the  presentation  of  psychological  experience.  Vain,  osten- 


* Renaissance  in  Italy ^ vol.  iii.  ch.  viii. 


INTRODUCTION 


XI 


tatious,  self- laudatory,  and  self  - engrossed  as  Cellini  was, 
he  never  stopped  to  analyse  himself.  Pie  attempted  no 
artistic  blending  of  Dichtung  und  Wahrheit;  the  word 
“confessions^^  could  not  have  escaped  his  lips;  a Journal 
Intime  would  have  been  incomprehensible  to  his  fierce, 
virile  spirit.  His  autobiography  is  the  record  of  action 
and  passion.  Suffering,  enjoying,  enduring,  working  with 
restless  activity ; hating,  loving,  hovering  from  place  to 
place  as  impulse  moves  him ; the  man  presents  himself 
dramatically  by  his  deeds  and  spoken  words,  never  by  his 
ponderings  or  meditative  breedings.  It  is  this  healthy 
externality  which  gives  its  great  charm  to  Cellini’s  self- 
portrayal and  renders  it  an  imperishable  document  for  the 
student  of  human  nature. 

In  addition  to  these  solid  merits,  his  life,  as  Horace  Wal- 
pole put  it,  is  “ more  amusing  than  any  novel.”  We  have  a 
real  man  to  deal  with — a man  so  realistically  brought  before 
us  that  we  seem  to  hear  him  speak  and  see  him  move  ; a man, 
moreover,  whose  eminently  characteristic  works  of  art  in  a 
great  measure  still  survive  among  us.  Yet  the  adventures  of 
this  potent  human  actuality  will  bear  comparison  with  those 
of  Gil  Bias,  or  the  Comte  de  Monte  Cristo,  or  Quentin  Dur- 
ward,  or  Les  Trois  Mousquetaires,  for  their  variety  and  ever- 
pungent  interest. 

In  point  of  language,  again,  Cellini  possesses  an  advantage 
which  places  him  at  least  upon  the  level  of  the  most  adroit 
romance-writers.  Unspoiled  by  literary  training,  he  wrote 
precisely  as  he  talked,  with  all  the  sharp  wit  of  a born  Floren- 
tine, heedless  of  grammatical  construction,  indifferent  to 
rhetorical  effects,  attaining  unsurpassable  vividness  of  narra- 
tion by  pure  simplicity.  He  was  greatly  helped  in  gaining 
the  peculiar  success  he  has  achieved  by  two  circumstances  ; 
first,  that  he  dictated  nearly  the  whole  of  his  Memoirs  to 
a young  amanuensis ; secondly,  that  the  distinguished 
academical  writer  to  whose  correction  he  submitted  them 
refused  to  spoil  their  ingenuous  grace  by  alterations  or 
stylistic  improvements.  While  reading  his  work,  therefore 
we  enjoy  something  of  that  pleasure  which  draws  the  folk 
of  Eastern  lands  to  listen  to  the  recitation  of  Arabian  Nights’ 
entertainments. 


Xll 


INTRODUCTION 


III 

But  what  was  the  man  himself?  It  is  just  this  question 
which  I have  half  promised  to  answer,  implying  that,  as  a 
translator,  I have  some  special  right  to  speak  upon  the  topic. 

Well,  then  : I seem  to  know  Cellini  first  of  all  as  a man 
possessed  by  intense,  absorbing  egotism  ; violent,  arrogant, 
self-assertive,  passionate  ; conscious  of  great  gifts  for  art, 
physical  courage,  and  personal  address.  Without  having 
read  a line  of  Machiavelli,  he  had  formed  the  same  ideal  of 
virtil  or  manly  force  of  character  as  the  author  of  The  Prince. 
To  be  self-reliant  in  all  circumstances  ; to  scheme  and  strike, 
if  need  be,  in  support  of  his  opinion  or  his  right ; to  take  the 
law  into  his  own  hands  for  the  redress  of  injury  or  insult : 
this  appeared  to  him  the  simple  duty  of  an  honourable  man. 
But  he  had  nothing  of  the  philosopher’s  calm,  the  diploma- 
tist’s prudence,  the  general’s  strategy,  or  the  courtier’s  self- 
restraint.  On  the  contrary,  he  possessed  the  temperament  of 
a born  artist,  blent  in  almost  equal  proportions  with  that  of  a 
born  bravo.  Throughout  the  whole  of  his  tumultuous  career 
these  two  strains  contended  in  his  nature  for  mastery.  Upon 
the  verge  of  fifty-six,  when  a man’s  blood  has  generally 
cooled,  we  find  that  he  was  released  from  prison  on  bail,  and 
bound  over  to  keep  the  peace  for  a year  with  some  enemy 
whose  life  was  probably  in  danger  ; and  when  I come  to 
speak  about  his  homicides,  it  will  be  obvious  that  he  enjoyed 
killing  live  men  quite  as  much  as  casting  bronze  statues. 


IV 

Both  the  artist  and  the  bravo  were  characteristic  and 
typical  products  of  the  Italian  Renaissance.  The  genius  of 
the  race  expressed  itself  at  that  epoch  even  more  saliently 
in  the  fine  arts  than  in  scholarship  or  literature.  At  the 
same  time  the  conditions  of  society  during  what  I have  else- 
where called  “ the  Age  of  the  Despots  ” favoured  the  growth 
of  lawless  adventurers,  who  made  a practice  of  violence  and 
lived  by  murder.  Now  these  two  prominent  types  of  the 
nation  and  the  period  were  never  more  singularly  combined 
than  in  Cellini.  He  might  stand  as  a full-blown  specimen 


INTRODUCTION 


xiii 

of  either.  Sensitive,  impulsive,  rash  of  speech,  hasty  in 
action,  with  the  artist’s  susceptibility  and  the  bravo’s  heat 
of  blood,  he  injured  no  one  more  than  himself  by  his 
eccentricities  of  temper.  Over  and  over  again  did  he  ruin 
excellent  prospects  by  some  piece  of  madcap  folly.  Yet 
there  is  no  trace  in  any  of  his  writings  that  he  ever  laid  his 
misadventures  to  the  proper  cause.  He  consistently  poses 
as  an  injured  man,  whom  malevolent  scoundrels  and  malig- 
nant stars  conspired  to  persecute.  Nor  does  he  do  this  with 
any  bad  faith.  His  belief  in  himself  remained  as  firm  as 
adamant,  and  he  candidly  conceived  that  he  was  under  the 
special  providence  of  a merciful  and  loving  God,  who  appre- 
ciated his  high  and  virtuous  qualities. 

On  one  occasion,  after  a more  than  customary  outbreak  of 
violent  speech,  the  Lucchese  ambassador  remarked  to  his 
patron,  Cosimo  de’  Medici,  “That  Benvenuto  of  yours  is  a 
terrible  man  ! ” “Yes,”  answered  the  Duke,  “he  is  far  more 
terrible  than  you  imagine.  Well  were  it  for  him  if  he  were 
a little  less  so,  for  then  he  would  have  possessed  much 
which  he  now  lacks.”  ^ Cellini  reports  this  speech  with 
satisfaction  ; he  is  proud  to  be  called  terrible — a word  which 
then  denoted  formidable  vehemence.^  On  another  occasion 
he  tells  us  how  Pope  Paul  HI.  was  willing  to  pardon  him 
for  an  outrageous  murder  committed  in  the  streets  of  Rome. 
One  of  the  Pope’s  gentlemen  submitted  that  this  was  show- 
ing unseasonable  clemency.  “You  do  not  understand  the 
matter  as  well  as  I do,”  replied  his  Holiness.  “ I must 
inform  you  that  men  like  Benvenuto,  unique  in  their  pro- 
fession, are  not  bound  by  the  laws.”^  That  sentence  pre- 
cisely paints  Cellini’s  own  conception  of  himself ; and  I 
believe  that  something  to  the  like  effect  may  really  have 
been  spoken  by  Pope  Paul.  Certainly  our  artist’s  frequent 
homicides  and  acts  of  violence  were  condoned  by  great 
princes,  who  wished  to  avail  themselves  of  his  exceptional 
ability.  Italian  society  admired  the  bravo  almost  as  much 
as  Imperial  Rome  admired  the  gladiator  ; it  also  assumed 

^ Vita  di  Benvenuto  Cellini.,  lib.  ii.  ch.  c. 

^ Compare  the  following  passage  from  a memorandum  written  by  Cellini : 
“Mi  fu  risposto  da  un  gran  gentilhuomo  di  corte,  il  quale  non  mi  disse  altro 
se  non  che  io  ero  un  terribile  huomo  ; e repricandani  piu  volte  questo  nome 
di  terribile,  io  gli  risposi  che  i terribli  si  erano  quegli  strumenti  che  si 
empierano  di  incenso  sol  per  honorare  Iddio.” — Trattati^  p.  xlii. 

® Vita  di  Benvenuto  Cellini,  lib.  i.  ch.  Ixxiv. 


XIV 


INTRODUCTION 


that  genius  combined  with  force  of  character  released  men 
from  the  shackles  of  ordinary  morality.  These  points  are 
so  clear  to  any  student  of  the  sixteenth  century  that  I need 
not  here  enlarge  upon  them.  It  is  only  necessary  to  keep 
them  steadily  in  mind  while  forming  an  estimate  of  Cellini^s 
temperament  and  conduct ; at  the  same  time  we  must  not 
run  to  the  conclusion  that  people  of  his  stamp  were  common, 
even  at  that  time,  in  Italy.  We  perceive  plainly  from  his 
self-complacent  admissions  that  the  peculiar  hybrid  between 
the  gifted  artist  and  the  man  of  blood  which  he  exhibited 
was  regarded  as  something  not  quite  normal. 


V 

Such  being  the  groundwork  of  Cellini’s  nature,  it  follows 
as  a necessary  consequence  that  his  self-conceit  was  pro- 
digious. Each  circumstance  of  his  life  appeared  to  him  a 
miracle.  Great  though  his  talents  were,  he  vastly  overrated 
them,  and  set  a monstrously  exaggerated  value  on  his  works 
of  art.  The  same  qualities  made  him  a herce  and  bitter 
rival : he  could  not  believe  that  any  one  with  whom  he 
came  into  collision  had  the  right  to  stand  beside  him.  This 
did  not  prevent  him  from  being  a clear-sighted  and  im- 
partial critic.  His  admiration  for  Michel  Angelo  Buonarroti 
amounted  to  fanaticism.  He  properly  appreciated  Raphael, 
and  gave  the  just  amount  of  praise  to  Sansovino,  Prima- 
ticcio,  and  Rosso — three  artists  with  whom  he  was  not  on 
the  best  of  terms.  Nor  will  any  one  deny  that  his  unfavour- 
able estimates  of  Bandinelli  and  Ammanati  were  justified. 
Indeed,  contemporaries  acknowledged  the  wholesomeness  of 
his  sound,  outspoken  criticism.  When  Vasari’s  abominable 
frescoes  on  the  cupola  of  the  Florentine  cathedral  were  ex- 
posed to  view,  the  witty  Lasca  wrote  as  follows  : — 

“ Pur  fra  color,  che  son  di  vita  privi, 

Vivo  vorrei  Benvenuto  Cellini, 

Che  senza  alcun  ritegno  o barbezzale 
Delle  cose  malfatte  dicea  male, 

E la  cupola  al  mondo  singolare 
Non  si  potea  di  lodar  mai  saziare  ; 

E la  solea  chiamare, 


INTRODUCTION 


XV 


Alzandola  alle  stelle, 

La  maraviglia  delle  cose  belle  ; 

Certo  non  capirebbe  or  nella  pelle, 

In  tal  guisa  dipintala  veggendo  ; 

E saltando  e correndo  e fulminando, 

S’  andrebbe  querelando, 

E per  tutto  gridando  ad  alta  voce, 
Giorgin  d’  Arezzo  metterebbe  in  croce.”  ^ 


VI 

In  spite  -of  his  vehemence  and  passion,  Cellini  had  not 
depth  or  tenacity  of  feeling.  His  amours  were  numerous, 
but  volatile  and  indiscriminate.  As  a friend  he  seems  to 
have  been  somewhat  uncertain  ; not  treacherous,  but  way- 
ward. Hospitable  indeed  and  generous  he  proved  himself 
by  his  conduct  toward  Italians  in  Paris,  and  by  his  thorough- 
going kindness  for  the  Sputasenni  family  in  Florence.  Still, 
if  anything,  either  in  love  or  comradeship,  crossed  his 
humour,  he  sacrificed  emotion  to  vanity.  Like  many  egotis- 
tical people,  he  extended  the  affection  he  felt  for  himself 
to  the  members  of  his  immediate  family.  On  the  whole,  he 
was  a good  and  dutiful  son,  although  he  caused  his  poor 
old  father  great  uneasiness  by  running  away  from  home, 
because  one  of  his  sisters  had  given  his  new  suit  of  clothes 
to  his  only  brother.  For  this  brother,  a brave  soldier  of 
the  same  stormy  sort  as  Benvenuto,  he  entertained  at  the 
same  time,  and  always,  a really  passionate  love.  The  young 
man,  named  Cecchino,  assassinated  a constable  in  the  streets 
of  Rome,  and  was  wounded  in  the  squabble  which  ensued. 
He  died  of  the  wound  ; but  though  the  officer  who  fired 
his  arquebuse  had  done  this  only  in  self-defence,  Benvenuto 
tracked  him  down  one  night  and  murdered  him.  Not  a 
syllable  of  remorse  escapes  his  lips.  Men  like  himself  and 
Cecchino  had  the  right  to  slay ; and  if  their  opponents 

^ “ Fain  would  I recall  to  life  Benvenuto  Cellini,  who  without  reserve  or 
restraint  spoke  evil  of  things  ill  done ; he  used  to  exalt  our  cupola  with 
indefatigable  praise  as  something  unique  in  the  world ; he  called  it  the 
miracle  of  beauteous  masterpieces.  Assuredly  that  man  would  jump  out  of 
his  skin  with  rage  to  see  it  thus  bedaubed ; leaping  and  running  and  ful- 
minating, he  would  go  about  the  city  uttering  his  indignation  at  the  top  of 
his  voice,  and  would  crucify  this  little  George  of  Arezzo.” 


XVI 


INTRODUCTION 


maiiaged  to  checkmate  such  virtuous  fellows,  they  must  be 
punished.  The  best  recorded  actions  of  Cellini  concern  his 
conduct  toward  a sister  and  six  daughters,  for  whose  sake 
he  quitted  a splendid  situation  in  France,  and  whom  he 
supported  by  his  industry  at  Florence  ; yet  he  does  not 
boast  about  this  sustained  and  unselfish  exercise  of  domestic 
piety.  He  was,  finally,  much  attached  to  his  legitimate 
children,  though  almost  brutally  indifferent  about  a natural 
daughter  whom  he  left  behind  in  Paris. 


VII 

The  religious  feelings  of  this  singular  personage  deserve 
to  be  considered.  They  were  indisputably  sincere,  and  I 
have  no  doubt  diat  Cellini  turned,  as  he  asserts,  in  all  his 
difficulties  with  hearty  faith  to  God.  But,  like  the  majority 
of  Italians  in  his  age,  he  kept  religion  as  far  apart  from 
morality  as  can  be.  His  God  was  not  the  God  of  holiness, 
chastity,  and  merc^^,  but  the  fetish  who  protected  him  and 
understood  him  better  than  ungrateful  men.  He  was  em- 
phatically, moreover,  the  God  who  “ aids  such  folk  as  aid 
themselves”  — a phrase  frequently  used  in  these  Memoirs. 
The  long  and  painful  imprisonment  which  Cellini  endured 
without  just  cause  in  the  Castle  of  S.  Angelo  made  a deep 
and,  to  some  extent,  a permanent  impression  on  his  mind. 
He  read  the  Bible  and  composed  psalms,  was  visited  by 
angels  and  blessed  with  consolatory  visions.  About  the 
truth  of  these  experiences  there  is  no  doubt.  The  man’s 
impressible,  imaginative  nature  lent  itself  to  mysticism  and 
spiritual  exaltation  no  less  readily  than  to  the  delirium  of 
homicidal  excitement.  He  was  just  as  inclined  to  see  heaven 
opened  when  dying  of  misery  in  a dungeon  as  to  “ see  red,” 
if  I may  use  that  French  term,  when  he  met  an  enemy  upon 
the  burning  squares  of  Rome  in  summer.  The  only  dif- 
ference was,  that  in  the  former  case  he  posed  before  him- 
self as  a martyr  gifted  with  God’s  special  favour,  in  the 
latter  as  a righteous  and  wronged  hero,  whose  hand  and 
dagger  God  would  guide.  There  was  nothing  strange  in 
this  mixture  of  piety  and  murder.  The  assassin  of  Loren- 
zino  de’  Medici — whose  short  narrative,  by  the  way,  reads 
like  a chapter  of  Cellini’s  Memoirs — relates  how,  while  he 


INTRODUCTION 


xvn 


was  running  drenched  with  blood  through  Venice  after  the 
event,  he  took  refuge  in  a crowded  church,  and  fervently 
commended  himself  to  the  Divine  protection.  Homicide, 
indeed,  was  then  considered  a venial  error,  and  several  inci- 
dents might  be  cited  from  this  autobiography  proving  that 
men  devoted  to  the  religious  life  screened  murderers  red- 
handed  after  the  commission  of  what  we  should  regard  not 
merely  as  criminal,  but  also  as  dastardly  deeds  of  violence. 


VIII 

Among  Cellini’s  faults  I do  not  reckon  either  baseness  or 
lying.  He  was  not  a rogue,  and  he  meant  to  be  veracious. 
This  contradicts  the  commonplace  and  superficial  view  of  his 
character  so  flatly  that  I must  support  my  opinion  at  some 
length.  Of  course,  I shall  not  deny  that  a fellow  endowed 
with  such  overweening  self-conceit,  when  he  comes  to  write 
about  himself,  will  set  down  much  which  cannot  be  taken 
entirely  on  trust.  His  personal  annals  will  never  rank  as 
historical  material  with  the  Venetian  Despatches,  however 
invaluable  the  student  of  manners  may  find  them.  Men  of 
his  stamp  are  certain  to  exaggerate  their  own  merits,  and  to 
pass  lightly  over  things  not  favourable  to  the  ideal  they 
present.  But  this  is  very  different  from  lying  ; and  of  cal- 
culated mendacity  Cellini  stands  almost  universally  accused. 
I believe  that  view  to  be  mistaken. 

So  far  as  I have  learned  to  know  him,  so  far  as  I have 
caught  his  accent  and  the  intonation  of  his  utterance,  I 
hold  him  for  a most  veracious  man.  His  veracity  was  not 
of  the  sort  which  is  at  present  current.  It  had  no  hypocrisy 
or  simulation  in  it,  but  a large  dose  of  vainglory  with  respect 
to  his  achievements,  and  a trifle  of  suppression  with  respect 
to  matters  which  he  thought  unworthy  of  his  fame.  Other- 
wise, he  is  quite  transparent  after  his  own  fashion — the 
fashion,  that  is  to  say,  of  the  sixteenth  century,  when  swag- 
gering and  lawlessness  were  in  vogue,  which  must  be  dis- 
tinguished from  the  fashion  of  the  nineteenth  century,  when 
modesty  and  order  are  respectable. 


XVlll 


INTRODUCTION 


IX 

What.  I have  called  the  accent  and  the  intonation  of 
Cellini  strikes  genuinely  upon  my  ear  in  the  opening 
sentences  of  a letter  to  Benedetto  Varchi.  It  should  be 
premised  that  this  distinguished  historian,  poet,  and  critic 
was  an  intimate  friend  of  the  great  artist,  who  sent  him 
his  autobiography  in  MS.  to  read.  “ It  gives  me  pleasure 
to  hear  from  your  worship,’^  writes  Cellini,  “that  you  like 
the  simple  narrative  of  my  life  in  its  present  rude  condi- 
tion better  than  if  it  were  filed  and  retouched  by  the  hand 
of  others,  in  which  case  the  exact  accuracy  with  which  I 
have  set  all  things  down  might  not  be  so  apparent  as  it  is. 
In  truth,  I have  been  careful  to  relate  nothing  whereof  I 
had  a doubtful  memory,  and  have  confined  myself  to  the 
strictest  truth,  omitting  numbers  of  extraordinary  incidents 
out  of  which  another  writer  would  have  made  great  capital.” 
In  a second  letter  to  Varchi  he  declares  himself  as  “bad 
at  dictating,  and  worse  at  composing.”  He  clearl^^  thought 
that  his  imperfect  grammar  and  plebeian  style  were  more 
than  compensated  by  the  sincerity  and  veracity  of  his 
narration. 

X 


His  own  attitude  with  regard  to  truth  can  well  be 
studied  in  the  somewhat  comic  episode  of  the  Duchess  of 
Tuscany’s  pearls.^  She  was  anxious  to  coax  her  husband 
into  buying  some  pearls  for  her,  and  entreated  Cellini  to  tell 
a fib  or  two  in  their  favour  for  her  sake.  “ Now,”  says 
Cellini,  “ I have  always  been  the  devoted  friend  of  truth  and 
the  enemy  of  lies  ; yet  I undertook  the  office,  much  against 
my  will,  for  fear  of  losing  the  good  graces  of  so  great  a 
princess.”  Accordingly,  he  went  with  “those  confounded 
pearls”  to  the  Duke,  and  having  once  begun  to  lie,  ex- 
aggerated his  falsehoods  so  clumsily  that  he  raised  sus- 
picion. The  Duke  at  last  begged  him,  as  he  was  an  honest 
man,  to  say  what  he  really  thought.  This  appeal  upset  him  : 
“ I blushed  up  to  the  eyes,  which  filled  with  tears  ; ” and  on 
the  instant  he  made  a clean  breast  of  the  whole  matter. 


^ VitUy  lib.  ii.  ch.  Ixxxiii. 


INTRODUCTION 


XIX 


losing  thereby  the  favour  of  the  Duchess,  who  had  been 
shown  in  an  unpleasing  light  to  her  lord  and  master.  The 
minute  account  he  has  left  of  all  his  negotiations  for  the 
payment  of  the  Perseus  prove  in  like  manner  that  the  one 
thing  Cellini  could  not  do  was  to  gain  his  ends  by  artifice 
and  underhand  transactions.  On  the  contrary,  he  blurted 
out  the  bitter  truth,  as  he  conceived  it,  in  hot  blood,  and 
clamoured  with  egregious  presumption  for  what  his  vanity 
demanded.  Not  lying,  not  artfulness,  but  arrogance  and 
overweening  self-importance  are  the  vices  of  his  character. 


XI 

His  portrait  is  drawn  in  this  light  by  contemporaries. 
Vasari  describes  him  as  “in  all  his  doings  of  high  spirit, 
proud,  lively,  very  quick  to  act,  and  formidably  vehement ; 
a person  who  knew  only  too  well  how  to  speak  his  mind  to 
princes.”  Bembo,  Caro,  Martelli,  Varchi,  speak  of  him  always 
in  terms  which  would  be  quite  inapplicable  to  a rogue  or  a 
liar.  During  his  imprisonment  in  S.  Angelo,  Annibale  Caro, 
who  had  known  him  well  for  several  years,  wrote  thus  to  his 
friend  Luca  Martini : “ I have  still  some  hope  for  Benvenuto, 
unless  his  own  temper  should  do  him  mischief,  for  that  is 
certainly  extravagant.  Since  he  was  in  prison,  he  has  never 
been  able  to  refrain  from  saying  things  in  his  odd  way,  which, 
in  my  opinion,  makes  the  Prince  (Pier  Luigi  Farnese)  uneasy 
as  to  what  he  may  do  or  utter  in  the  future.  These  follies, 
far  more  than  any  crime  he  has  committed  in  the  past,  now 
compromise  his  safety.”  That  passage  strongly  corroborates 
the  view  I have  presented  of  Cellini^s  character.  I might 
quote  another  letter  written  by  Niccolo  Martelli  to  Benvenuto 
in  France.  It  begins  by  paying  a tribute  to  his  “ distinguished 
talents  and  gracious  nature,”  saying  that  any  favours  he  may 
receive  at  the  French  court  will  not  be  equal  to  his  merits, 
“ both  as  a rare  goldsmith  and  admirable  draughtsman,  and 
also  as  a man  of  liberal  and  open  conversation  with  his 
fellows,  free-handed  not  only  to  artists  and  friends,  but  also 
to  all  who  seek  him  out ; esteeming  mighty  cardinals  no 
more  than  noble  spirits  in  a humble  station,  which  is  really 
worthy  of  a nature  so  generous  as  yours.”  These  phrases 
might  pass  for  merely  complimentary,  did  they  not  so 


XX 


INTRODUCTION 


exactly  confirm  Cellini’s  own  narrative.  They  give  us  good 
reason  to  believe  that  what  he  spoke  about  himself  was  the 
truth. 


XII 

In  the  next  place  I will  adduce  the  opinions  of  two 
Italian  critics  who  have  been  occupied  with  Cellini’s  auto- 
biography. Antonio  Cocchi,  its  first  editor  (Naples,  1730), 
says  in  his  preface : “I  will  not  conceal  my  belief  that 
there  are  some  things  scattered  through  his  narrative  in 
blame  of  contemporaries  to  which  we  ought  to  lend  a 
somewhat  doubting  ear.  It  is  not  that  the  author  was  not 
an  impassioned  friend  of  truth,  but  he  may  have  accepted 
vague  reports  or  yielded  to  conjectures.”  This  admission 
is  too  cautious.  It  is  certain  that  Cellini  wrote  his  Memoirs 
in  no  critical  spirit ; and  what  Cocchi  calls  “ his  habit  of 
excessive  frankness,  his  harsh  manners,  readiness  to  take 
affront,  and  implacable  hatreds,”  betrayed  him  into  great 
unfairness  when  dealing  with  people  whom  he  disliked. 
This  does  not,  however,  imply  of  necessity  that  he  fabri- 
cated falsehoods  against  the  folk  he  could  not  tolerate. 
Truth  is  ever  a more  trenchant  weapon  than  mendacity  in 
most  cases.  When  Aretino,  that  unscrupulous  gladiator  of 
the  pen,  was  asked  how  men  might  best  speak  evil  of  their 
neighbours,  he  replied  : ” By  telling  the  truth — by  telling 
the  truth.”  And  Cellini  understood  with  keen  sagacity  this 
force  of  plain  unvarnished  statement.  I take  it  that  the 
most  disagreeable  things  he  said  of  Paul  III.,  of  Luigi 
Pulci,  of  Baccio  Bandinelli,  and  of  Giorgio  Vasari  were 
crude  verities.  The  manners  of  the  period  and  his  method 
of  narration  justify  this  conclusion. 

Taking  a wider  sweep  and  survey  of  this  subject,  Baretti 
sums  up  the  impression  left  upon  his  mind  by  Cellini’s  self- 
portraiture thus  : “He  has  painted  himself  as  brave  as  a 
French  grenadier,  as  vindictive  as  a viper,  superstitious  to 
the  last  degree,  full  of  eccentricity  and  caprice  ; a pleasant 
companion  among  friends,  but  not  susceptible  of  affectionate 
attachments ; rather  loose  in  sexual  relations,  a bit  of  a 
traitor  without  being  aware  of  it  ; slightly  tainted  with  spite 
and  envy,  a braggart  and  vain  without  suspecting  himself 
to  be  such  ; a madcap  who  firmly  believed  he  was  wise, 


INTRODUCTION 


XXI 


circumspect,  and  prudent.  Fully  persuaded  that  he  was  a 
hero,  he  dashed  this  picture  of  himself  upon  the  canvas 
without  a thought  of  composition  or  reflection,  just  as  his 
fiery  and  rapid  fancy  prompted.  We  derive  from  it  some- 
thing of  the  same  pleasure  which  we  feel  in  contemplat- 
ing a terrible  wild  beast  who  cannot  get  near  enough  to 
hurt  us.’^ 


XIII 

After  these  general  considerations  upon  the  limits  within 
which  Cellini’s  veracity  may  be  trusted,  I pass  to  some 
particulars  that  have  been  always  challenged  in  his  state- 
ments. 

Upon  the  very  first  pages  of  the  book  we  are  met  with  an 
astounding  legend  relating  to  the  foundation  and  the  name 
of  Florence.  Having  shown  familiarity  with  previous  specu- 
lations on  the  subject,  he  rejects  all  other  hypotheses  in 
favour  of  a pure  myth,  by  which  the  origin  of  the  city  is 
referred  to  an  imaginary  ancestor  of  his  own,  Fiorino  da 
Cellino,  a captain  in  the  army  of  Julius  Caesar.  It  is 
needless  to  say  that  there  is  no  ground  whatever  for  the 
legend  ; and  we  can  hardly  believe  that  Cellini  thought  it 
would  impose  on  any  one’s  credulity.  That  it  flattered  his 
own  vanity  is  certain  ; and  I suspect  from  his  way  of  intro- 
ducing it  that  the  story  formed  part  of  some  domestic 
gossip  regarding  his  ancestry  which  he  had  heard  in  boy- 
hood. Many  of  the  so-called  Norman  pedigrees  of  our 
aristocracy  used  to  begin  with  fables  hardly  less  ridiculous. 
To  call  this  one  of  Cellini’s  lies  would  be  as  absurd  as  to 
deny  that  it  confirms  our  belief  in  his  childish  self-conceit 
and  uncritical  habit  of  mind. 

A more  important  piece  of  boasting  is  usually  cast  in  his 
teeth.  He  tells  us  how  he  went,  upon  the  6th  of  May 
1527,  to  the  ramparts  of  Rome  at  the  moment  when  the 
assault  of  the  Imperial  troops  was  being  hotly  pressed,  and 
how  he  slew  a captain  with  a well-directed  musket -shot. 
This  captain,  as  he  afterwards  learned,  was  the  Constable 
of  Bourbon.  Now  there  is  nothing  to  prove  whether  he 
did  or  did  not  shoot  the  Constable.  He  only  mentions  the 
fact  himself  on  hearsay,  and  when  he  enumerated  his  past 
services  before  the  judges  who  sent  him  to  prison  in  1538  he 


XXll 


INTRODUCTION 


did  not  mention  this  feat.^  That  he  wounded  the  Prince  of 
Orange  by  the  discharge  of  a culverin  from  the  Castle  of 
S.  Angelo  has  never  been  disputed.  Indeed,  it  is  quite 
certain  that  he  performed  more  than  yeoman’s  duty  as  a 
gunner  all  through  the  period  of  the  sack  of  Rome.  In 
consequence  of  his  excellent  soldiership,  Orazio  Baglioni 
offered  him  the  captaincy  of  a band  in  the  army  he  was 
collecting  for  the  defence  of  Florence.  Now  Bourbon  had 
been  shot  dead  in  the  assault  of  Rome  upon  that  foggy 
morning,  and  Cellini  had  certainly  discharged  his  arquebuse 
from  the  ramparts.  Always  posing  as  a hero  in  his  own 
eyes,  he  was  gratified  to  obtain  some  colour  for  the  sup- 
position that  one  of  his  unerring  balls  had  done  the  deed. 
If  it  were  possible  to  put  his  thoughts  about  this  event  into 
a syllogism,  it  would  run  as  follows  : “ Somebody  shot  Bour- 
bon ; I shot  somebody  ; being  what  I am,  I am  inclined  to 
think  the  somebody  I shot  was  Bourbon.” 

Many  of  the  odd  things  related  by  Cellini  can  be  classified 
as  things  which  really  took  place,  like  the  accident  of  the 
scorpion  and  the  tremendous  hailstorm  he  encountered  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Lyons.  Others  may  be  referred  to 
common  superstition.  I will  choose  the  instance  of  the 
salamander,  which  has  often  been  brought  up  against  him. 
Here  he  only  informs  us  that  his  father  gave  him  a good 
box  on  the  ears,  in  order  that  he  might  not  forget  the  occa- 
sion when  he  saw  something  in  a wood-fire  which  his  father 
took  for  a salamander. 

Not  a few  of  the  most  striking  of  his  presumed  lies  turn 
out,  upon  inspection,  like  those  of  Herodotus,  to  be  simply 
the  best  evidence  of  his  veracity.  That  is  to  say,  when  we 
examine  them  we  find  that  he  had  been  recording  actual 
phenomena  with  more  than  usual  powers  of  observation, 
but  without  the  power  of  scientifically  accounting  for  them. 
Being  vividly  conscious  of  the  fact  as  he  observed  it,  and  at 
the  same  time  subject  to  a wrong  method  of  interpretation, 
he  unconsciously  proved  his  veracity  by  accurately  describing 
what  he  saw,  and  then  referring  it  to  such  causes  as  were 
current  at  his  epoch.  I will  select  two  examples  bearing  on 
this  point ; both  shall  be  recorded  in  his  own  words. 

The  first  relates  to  a portent  in  the  heavens,  which  he 


^ Vita^  lib.  i.  ch.  ciii. 


INTRODUCTION 


XXlll 


regarded  as  a sign  sent  for  some  fateful  warning.  After 
relating  how  he  and  his  friend  Felice  had  been  shooting  all 
day  on  the  Roman  Campagna,  he  proceeds  as  follows  : ’ — 
“ W e mounted  and  rode  rapidly  towards  Rome  ; and  when 
we  reached  a certain  gently  rising  ground — night  then  had 
fallen — looking  in  the  direction  of  Florence,  both  with  one 
breath  exclaimed  in  the  utmost  astonishment,  ‘ Oh,  God  of 
heaven  ! what  is  that  great  thing  one  sees  there  over 
Florence  ? ’ It  resembled  a huge  beam  of  fire,  which 
sparkled  and  gave  out  extraordinary  lustre.  I said  to  Felice, 
‘Assuredly  we  shall  hear  to-morrow  that  something  of  vast 
importance  has  happened  in  Florence.’  ” In  effect,  they  did 
hear  that  Alessandro  de’  Medici  had  been  murdered  by  his 
cousin  Lorenzino.  Yet,  meanwhile,  Cellini  has  left  a striking, 
though  brief,  picture  of  the  aurora  borealis  which  he  hap- 
pened to  have  noticed. 

The  second  of  these  examples  is  more  curious  and  far 
more  confirmatory  of  his  truth.  After  those  half- delirious 
experiences  in  the  dungeon  of  S.  Angelo,  when  he  saw 
visions  and  thought  that  angels  ministered  to  his  sick  body, 
he  fancied  himself  under  God’s  special  guidance.  As  a sign 
of  this  peculiar  grace,  he  relates  the  following  circumstance  : ^ 
— “Since  that  time  till  now  an  aureole  of  glory  (marvellous 
to  relate)  has  rested  on  my  head.  This  is  visible  to  every 
sort  of  men  to  whom  I have  chosen  to  point  it  out ; but 
these  have  been  very  few.  This  halo  can  be  observed 
above  my  shadow  in  the  morning,  from  the  rising  of  the 
sun  for  about  two  hours,  and  far  better  when  the  grass  is 
drenched  with  dew.  It  is  also  visible  at  evening  about  sun- 
set. I became  aware  of  it  in  France,  at  Paris ; for  the  air  in 
those  countries  is  so  much  freer  from  mist  that  one  can  see 
it  there  far  better  manifested  than  in  Italy,  mists  being  far 
more  frequent  among  us.  However,  I am  always  able  to  see 
it,  and  to  show  it  to  others,  but  not  so  well  as  in  the  country 
I have  mentioned.”  Critics  have  taken  for  granted  that  this 
is  a mere  piece  of  audacious  mendacity  meant  to  glorify  him- 
self, whereas  it  is  really  the  record  of  a very  accurate  but 
misinterpreted  observation.  Any  one  who  walks  abroad  in 
grassy  places  when  the  light  is  low,  as  at  sunrise  or  at  sunset, 
can  satisfy  himself  that  his  shadow  cast  on  dewy  sward  is 


^ Vita,  lib.  i.  ch.  Ixxxix. 


2 Ibid.,  ch.  cxxviii. 


XXIV 


INTRODUCTION 


surrounded  with  a rim  of  glory  like  a lunar  rainbow.  But  if 
he  goes  with  companions,  he  will  not  see  their  shadows 
encircled  with  the  same  light,  because  his  own  body  is  the 
point  which  focusses  the  diffused  rays.^  He,  therefore,  might 
well  imagine  that  the  aureole  ir,  given  to  himself  alone  ; and, 
in  order  to  exhibit  it,  he  must  make  his  comrade  take  a place 
behind  him,  where  the  halo  becomes  at  once  visible  to  both. 
Long  before  I attended  to  the  above  passage  in  Cellini,  I 
noticed  this  phenomenon,  and  pointed  it  out  to  friends, 
finding  that  some  of  them  were  too  deficient  in  powers  of 
observation  to  perceive  it,  while  others  at  once  recognised 
the  singular  and  beautiful  effect.  What  makes  the  example 
interesting  for  the  light  it  casts  on  Cellinks  habit  of  mind  is 
that  he  starts  by  saying  the  aureole  surrounds  his  head,  and 
then  very  ingenuously  proceeds  to  tell  us  that  it  only  surrounds 
the  shadow  of  his  head  at  certain  times  and  in  certain  places. 
Those  times  and  places  are  just  what  the  experience  of  one 
who  has  observed  the  same  phenomena  would  lead  him  to 
expect.  Again,  he  sets  up  a false  theory  to  explain  why  he 
could  see  it  better  in  France  than  in  Italy.  It  is  not  that  there 

^ On  the  appearance  of  this  passage  in  the  Fortnightly  Review  for  January 
1887,  1 received  a communication  from  H.  D.  Pearsall,  Esq.,  of  3 Cursitor 
Street,  expressing  some  interest  in  my  account  of  Cellini’s  aureole.  He 
says: — “I  observed  the  phenomenon  some  years  ago  in  India,  and  the 
attendant  circumstances  were  such  as  you  mention.  It  is  curious,  as  illus- 
trating the  want  of  observation  of  most  people,  that  I have  never  yet  met 
with  any  one  but  yourself  who  had  observed  it.”  In  explanation  of  the 
aureole  he  adds  : — “It  appeared  to  me  that  the  cause  was  simply  the  reJlectio)i 
of  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun  from  the  wet  surface  of  the  blades  of  grass.  The 
reason  why  a spectator  at  one  side  cannot  see  it  would,  therefore,  not  be  that 
the  illuminated  person’s  fonts sed  the  diffused  rays,  but  simply  the  direct 

consequence  of  the  law  of  reflection  of  light  (angle  of  incidence  = angle  of 
refraction),  so  that  the  reflected  rays  would  reach  the  eye  of  the  object,  but  not 
that  of  any  person  at  a little  distance  to  one  side.  The  aureole  never  ex- 
tended lower  than  my  shoulder,  evidently  for  the  same  reason.”  This  ex- 
planation is  so  obviously  superior  to  that  suggested  by  my  own  vague  and 
unscientific  phrase  in  the  text,  that  I am  grateful  for  the  permission  to  report 
it  in  Mr.  Pearsall’s  own  words.  It  is  worth  adding,  perhaps,  that  when  the 
object  finds  himself  at  a considerable  distance  from  the  reflecting  surface  of 
wet  grass,  as  when,  for  instance,  he  is  driving  in  a carriage  above  a grassy 
meadow,  the  aureole  will  extend  somewhat  lower  than  his  shoulder.  This  I 
have  observed. 

[Since  this  note  was  first  published,  a friend  has  pointed  out  to  me  a pas- 
sage in  Thoreau’s  Walden,  at  the  beginning  of  the  article  named  Baber  Farm, 
which  shows  that  Thoreau  had  observed  the  phenomenon  I have  described, 
and,  like  me,  had  connected  his  observation  with  Cellini’s  Memoirs.  This 
confirmatory  evidence  gives  me  pleasure,  and  I am  glad  to  report  it. — 
J.  A.  S.] 


INTRODUCTION 


XXV 


is  more  mist  in  the  latter  than  the  former  country,  but  that 
low-lying  humidity  of  atmosphere  and  heavy  dews  on  deep 
grass  are  favourable  to  the  production  of  the  appearance, 
and  these  conditions  may  be  met  with  more  frequently  in 
a country  like  France  than  in  the  provinces  of  Middle  Italy. 
It  was  upon  the  Alpine  meadows,  where  I am  now  writing, 
at  the  season  of  early  autumn  frosts,  that  I first  noticed  it ; 
and  I can  predict  with  some  confidence  when  it  is  pretty 
certain  to  be  reproduced.  In  my  opinion,  the  very  hesi- 
tancies of  Cellini  in  this  test-passage  are  undesigned  corro- 
borations of  his  general  veracity.  A man  who  deliberately 
invents  something  to  glorify  himself  and  mystify  the  world 
does  not  go  about  his  work  in  this  fashion.  He  does  not 
describe  a natural  phenomenon  so  exactly  that  all  the  limit- 
ing conditions,  which  he  regarded  as  inexplicable  imperfec- 
tions in  the  grace  conferred  upon  him,  shall  confirm  the  truth 
of  his  observation. 

A similar  line  of  reasoning  might  be  adopted  with  regard 
to  the  extraordinary  night-scene  in  the  Coliseum.  Cellini 
went  thither,  firmly  believing  in  ghosts  and  fiends,  in  order  to 
raise  devils,  with  a necromancer.  A bonfire  was  lighted  and 
drugs  were  cast  upon  the  coals,  which  rolled  forth  volumes  of 
murky  smoke.  In  the  smoke  legions  of  demons  appeared. 
Imagination  and  the  awe-inspiring  influences  of  the  place, 
even  if  we  eliminate  a possible  magic-lantern  among  the 
conjuror’s  appurtenances,  are  enough  to  account  for  what 
Cellini  saw.  He  was  credulous,  he  was  superstitious  ; he  was 
readily  exalted  to  the  fever-point  of  delirium  (as  in  the  case 
of  Charon,  who  obsessed  him  during  his  Roman  illness,  the 
visions  of  S.  Angelo  when  his  leg  was  broken,  and  the  appari- 
tion of  the  gravedigger  during  his  short  fever  on  the  night  of 
casting  Perseus)  ; but  there  is  nothing  in  his  confidences  to 
make  us  suppose  that  the  phantasmagoria  of  the  Coliseum 
was  a deliberate  invention. 


XIV 

The  most  convincing  proofs  of  Cellini’s  trustworthiness  are 
not,  however,  to  be  sought  in  these  minor  details.  I find  them 
far  stronger  and  far  more  abundant  in  the  vast  picture-gallery 
of  historical  portraits  which  he  has  painted.  Parini,  while 

c 


XXVI 


INTRODUCTION 


tracing  the  salient  qualities  of  his  autobiography,  remarked  : 
“He  is  peculiarly  admirable  in  depicting  to  the  life  by  a few 
salient  touches  the  characters,  passions,  personal  peculiarities, 
movements,  and  habits  of  the  people  with  whom  he  came  in 
contact/’ 

Only  one  who  has  made  himself  for  long  years  familiar  with 
the  history  of  Cellini’s  period  can  appreciate  the  extraordinary 
vividness  and  truth  of  Cellini’s  delineation.  Without  attempt- 
ing to  do  more  than  record  his  recollection  of  what  happened 
to  himself  in  commerce  with  men  of  all  sorts,  he  has  drama- 
tised the  great  folk  of  histories,  chronicles,  and  diplomatic  de- 
spatches exactly  as  our  best  authorities  in  their  more  colourless 
and  cautious  style  present  them  to  our  fancy.  He  enjoyed  the 
advantages  of  the  alcove  and  the  ante- chamber  ; and  without 
abusing  these  in  the  spirit  of  a Voltaire  or  a valet,  he  has 
greatly  added  to  our  conception  of  Clement  VII.,  Paul  III., 
Francis  I.,  and  Cosimo  de’  Medici,  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany. 
Clement  driven  to  his  wits’  end  for  cash  during  the  sack  of 
Rome  ; Paul  granting  favours  to  a cardinal  at  the  end  of  a 
copious  repast,  when  wine  was  in  his  head  ; Francis  inter- 
rupting the  goldsmiths  in  their  workshop  at  the  Petit  Nesle  ; 
Cosimo  indulging  in  horse-play  with  his  buffoon  Bernardone 
— these  detach  themselves,  as  living  personages,  against  the 
grey  historic  background.  Yet  the  same  great  people,  on 
more  ceremonious  occasions,  or  in  the  common  transactions 
of  life,  talk,  move,  and  act  precisely  as  we  learn  to  know 
them  from  the  most  approved  documentary  sources.  Take, 
for  example,  the  singular  interview  between  Paul  III.  and 
the  Marquis  del  Vasto,  which  Cellini  interrupted,  and  when 
he  was  used  by  the  former  to  exhaust  the  patience  of  the 
Spanish  envoy.^  Our  authorities  tell  us  much  about  the 
fox-like  shifty  nature  of  the  Pope  ; and  we  know  that,  pre- 
cisely at  this  moment,  he  was  eager  to  preserve  his  own 
neutrality  between  the  courts  of  France  and  Spain.  Cellini, 
thinking  only  of  his  personal  affairs,  withdraws  the  curtain 
from  a scene  which  we  feel  at  once  to  be  the  very  truth 
and  inner  life  of  history. 

It  was  not  only  in  dealing  with  the  greatest  actors  on  the 
world’s  stage  that  Cellini  showed  this  keen  fidelity  to  fact. 
His  portraits  of  the  bestial  Pier  Luigi  Farnese,  of  the  subtle 


^ Vita^  lib.  i.  ch.  xcii. 


INTRODUCTION 


XXVll 


and  bizarre  Lorenzino  de’  Medici,  of  the  Ferrarese  minister 
Giliolo,  of  the  Florentine  majordomo  Ricci,  of  the  proud 
Comte  de  St.  Paul,  correspond  exactly  to  what  we  learn 
otherwise  about  them,  adding  slight  significant  touches  from 
private  information.  Madame  D’Etampes  and  the  Duchess 
Eleanora  of  Tuscany  move  across  his  pages  as  they  lived, 
the  one  with  the  vivacity  of  a king’s  insolent  mistress,  the 
other  with  the  somewhat  sickly  and  yet  kindly  grandeur  of 
the  Spanish  consort  to  an  astute  Italian  prince.  Lesser  folk, 
with  whom  we  are  equally  acquainted  through  their  writings 
or  biographical  notices,  appear  in  crowds  upon  a lower  plane. 
Bembo,  in  his  dignified  retreat  at  Padua  ; Torrigiano,  swag- 
gering about  the  Florentine  workshops ; Giulio  Romano, 
leading  the  debauched  society  of  Roman  artists ; Maitre 
Roux,  in  his  Parisian  magnificence  ; Alamanni,  the  humane 
and  gentle  nobleman  of  letters ; Sansovino,  expanding  at 
ease  in  Venetian  comfort  ; old  Michel  Angelo,  with  his  man 
Urbino,  in  their  simple  Roman  dwelling  ; Bandinelli,  bluster- 
ing before  the  Duke  of  Florence  in  a wordy  duel  with  Cellini, 
which  Vasari  also  has  reported — all  these,  and  how  many 
more  besides,  are  portrayed  with  an  evident  reality,  which 
corresponds  in  each  particular  to  the  man  as  he  is  otherwise 
revealed  to  us  by  independent  evidence.  Yet  Cellini  had 
no  intention  of  describing  such  folk  for  our  benefit.  As  they 
happened  to  cross  his  life,  so  he  sketched  them  with  sharp, 
pungent  quill- strokes,  always  thinking  more  about  his  own 
affairs  than  their  personality.  Nothing  inspires  a firmer  con- 
fidence in  his  accuracy  as  an  observer  and  his  veracity  as 
a narrator  than  the  undesigned  corroboration  given  to  his 
portraits  by  masses  of  external  and  less  vivid  testimony. 

This  forces  me  to  accept  as  genuine  many  of  those  power- 
ful and  humorous  descriptions  of  character  which  we  cannot 
check.  How  true  to  life  is  the  history  of  young  Luigi  Pulci, 
who  came  to  grief  in  Rome,  after  wasting  exceptional  talents 
in  disgraceful  self-indulgence  ! That  episode  reads  like  a 
pilce  justificative  in  illustration  of  Aretino’s  Dialogo  delle  Cortu 
The  story  too  of  the  mad  Castellan  of  S.  Angelo,  who  thought 
he  was  a bat,  deserves  like  credence.  The  ruffianly  post- 
master at  Siena,  shot  dead  by  Cellini  in  a quarrel ; the 
Milanese  simpleton  who  entreated  the  surgeon,  while  sewing 
up  a wound  in  his  mouth,  not  to  close  the  whole  orifice 
out  of  spite  ; the  incomparable  dilettante  at  Ferrara,  Alfonso 


XXVlll 


INTRODUCTION 


de’  Trotti,  who  made  such  a fool  of  himself  about  some  old 
models  from  Cellini's  vases  ; Tribolo,  the  quaking  coward ; 
Busbacca,  the  lying  courier  ; Cellini's  father,  with  his  fixed 
idea  about  Benvenuto's  flute-playing  ; Ascanio  and  his  sweet- 
heart hidden  in  the  head  of  the  great  statue  of  Mars  at  Paris 
— hundreds  of  such  rapidly  traced  silhouettes,  with  all  the 
force  of  life  and  all  the  comicality  of  satiric  genius,  cross 
these  pages  and  enliven  them  at  every  turn.  We  have  faith 
in  their  veracity,  partly  because  they  correspond  to  human 
nature  in  the  times  which  Cellini  knew,  and  partly  because 
his  descriptions  of  character,  when  verified  by  external 
evidence,  are  found  so  faithful. 


XV 

The  trustworthiness  of  Cellini's  Memoirs  might  be  sub- 
mitted to  yet  another  test.  Numerous  details,  as,  for  in- 
stance, the  episode  of  his  brother's  death  and  what  he  says 
about  Foiano's  starvation  in  S.  Angelo,  are  supported  by 
Varchi's  History  of  Florence.  His  own  private  memoranda 
and  official  petitions  to  the  Duke  of  Florence  confirm  the 
main  records  of  his  life  in  that  city.  The  French  letters  of 
naturalisation  and  the  deed  conferring  on  him  the  lordship 
of  Le  Petit  Nesle  are  in  existence.  Signor  Bertolotti's  and 
the  Marchese  Campori's  researches  have  established  the 
accuracy  of  his  narrative  regarding  his  life  in  Rome  and 
his  relations  to  the  Cardinal  of  Ferrara.  ^ But  it  would 
occupy  too  much  space  to  pursue  this  line  of  investigation 
with  the  scrupulous  thoroughness,  without  which  such  argu- 
ments are  unconvincing.  Enough  has  perhaps  been  said  in 
this  place  upon  the  topic  of  the  man's  veracity.  What  I 
have  attempted  to  demonstrate  is,  that  he  did  not  mean  to 
lie,  and  that  we  possess  strong  confirmatory  testimony  to  the 
truth  of  his  statements  and  the  accuracy  of  his  observation. 
This  does  not  imply  that  a man  of  his  violent  passions  and 
egregious  vanity  is  always  to  be  trusted,  either  when  he 
praises  his  own  performance  or  depreciates  his  sworn  foes. 

1 Benvenuto  Cellini  a Roma,  Arch.  Stor.  di  Roma,  1875.  Notizie 

inedite  delle  relazioni  tra  il  Cardinale  Ipp.  d' Este  e B.  C.,  Modena,  1862. 


INTRODUCTION 


XXIX 


XVI 

A different  class  of  problems  have  to  be  faced  when  we 
seek  to  estimate  how  far  Cellini  can  be  justly  called  either  a 
rogue  or  a villain.  I have  admitted  in  my  general  review  of 
his  character  that  he  was  capable  of  suppressing  portions  of 
the  truth  respecting  matters  which  involved  his  own  ideal 
of  a manly  reputation  ; although  I am  inclined  to  trust  his 
narrative  on  all  points  openly  related. 

Now  there  are  two  important  passages  in  his  life  which 
might  be  challenged  as  imperfectly  explained  by  him,  and 
which  are  therefore  ex  hypothesi  suspicious.  The  first  of 
these  is  the  long  imprisonment  in  S.  Angelo  at  Rome  ; the 
second  is  his  final  departure  from  France. 

The  account  which  Cellini  gives  of  the  former  episode 
is  that  he  had  been  calumniated  to  Pope  Paul  III.,  and  had 
furthermore  incurred  the  hatred  of  Pier  Luigi  Farnese.^  At 
the  same  time  he  states  that  his  first  examination  before 
judges  turned  upon  a charge  of  having  stolen  crown  jewels 
amounting  to  eighty  thousand  ducats,  while  employed  to 
melt  their  settings  down  for  Clement  VI I. ^ It  seems  that 
a Perugian  workman  in  Cellini’s  employ  informed  against 
him  ; and  Pier  Luigi  obtained  from  his  Papal  father  a grant 
of  this  value  when  it  should  be  recovered.  Cellini  success- 
fully disposed  of  the  accusation  by  appealing  to  the  books 
of  the  Apostolic  Camera,  upon  which  all  the  articles  belong- 
ing to  the  regalia  were  duly  inscribed.  He  also  asked  what 
he  could  have  done  with  so  large  a sum  as  eighty  thousand 
ducats.^  Upon  this  point  it  is  worth  noticing  that  when 
Cellini  made  his  nuncupatory  will  some  months  previous  to 
this  imprisonment,  he  possessed  nothing  at  all  approaching 
to  the  amount  of  eighty  thousand  ducats.^  Also,  he  relates 
how  he  confessed,  during  the  lifetime  of  Pope  Clement,  to 
having  kept  back  a small  quantity  of  gold-filings  in  the 
Castle  of  S.  Angelo,  for  which  act  he  received  plenary  Papal 
absolution.®  It  seems  therefore  certain  that  Cellini  cleared 
himself  before  the  judges  of  this  charge  of  peculation  ; and 
nothing  more  was  subsequently  said  about  it. 

^ Lib.  i.  chaps.  Ixxv.  xcii.  ^ Ibid.  chap.  ci. 

® Ibid.  chap.  ciii.  ^ Ibid.  chap.  Ixxxiv. 

^ Ibid.  chap,  xliii. 


XXX 


INTRODUCTION 


Yet  there  remains  some  difficulty  in  understanding  why 
he  was  kept  so  long  in  prison  after  the  voracious  Pier  Luigi 
found  that  no  articles  of  value  could  be  extracted  from  him. 
Are  we  to  believe  that  Paul  III.  remained  obdurate  in  his 
resentment  merely  because  some  courtiers  told  him  that 
Cellini  had  been  laughing  at  the  Pope  behind  his  back? 
That  is  by  no  means  either  impossible  or  improbable,  know- 
ing as  we  do  what  acts  of  tyranny  a Pope  was  capable  of 
perpetrating.  Varchi,  for  example,  writing  his  History  of 
Florence  under  Medicean  influence  for  a Medicean  Grand 
Duke,  relates  how  the  last  great  Medicean  Pope,  Clement  VII., 
caused  a political  antagonist.  Fra  Foiano,  to  be  starved 
in  the  Castle  of  S.  Angelo  by  daily  reducing  his  rations  till 
the  wretch  expired  of  vermin  and  famine.  Now  Alessandro 
Farnese,  Pope  Paul  III.,  was  in  some  ways  worse  and  more 
dangerous  than  any  of  those  previous  Pontiffs.  He  owed 
his  first  advancement  to  his  sister’s  shame  ; for  Giulia  la 
Bella  had  been  the  mistress  of  Pope  Alexander  VI.  During 
his  early  manhood  he  underwent  imprisonment  in  the  Castle 
of  S.  Angelo  for  forgery  while  holding  public  offices  of  trust. 
He  was,  in  fact,  a survivor  from  the  most  worldly  and  most 
lawless  days  of  the  Roman  Church.  But  when  he  obtained 
the  tiara  public  opinion  had  begun  to  undergo  a change. 
Paul  HI.  could  not  play  the  part  of  a Della  Rovere  or 
Borgia  openly  before  the  world.  His  hands,  in  the  new  age 
dawning  over  Europe,  were  tied  ; the  natural  movements  of 
his  youthful  years  were  checked ; the  quality  he  chiefly 
cultivated  was  craft.  That  did  not,  however,  prevent  him 
from  being  stiff-necked  and  tyrannical  when  he  could  in- 
dulge his  humour.  His  bastard.  Pier  Luigi,  Duke  of  Parma, 
who  was  eventually  murdered  by  his  outraged  subjects,  is 
acknowledged  to  have  been  a low  rascal  of  infamous  habits, 
A pair  of  such  people  were  quite  capable  of  keeping  Cellini 
in  prison  out  of  spite  and  obstinacy.  Moreover,  we  have 
already  learned  from  Caro’s  correspondence  that  well-in- 
formed persons  in  Rome  ascribed  his  prolonged  detention 
to  the  incorrigible  violence  of  his  language  rather  than  to  any 
past  offences. 

With  regard  to  Cellini’s  final  removal  from  France,  a good 
deal  might  be  said.  He  informs  us  that  domestic  circum- 
stances obliged  him  to  revisit  his  native  town  of  Florence. 
His  only  sister  was  married  to  an  aged  husband  with  failing 


INTRODUCTION 


XXXI 


health,  who  earned  nothing  for  the  family.  This  couple 
had  six  daughters,  and  Cellini  not  unreasonably  feared  that 
the  girls  might  fall  into  bad  ways  unless  they  were  provided 
for.i  With  characteristic  recklessness  he  left  the  land  of  his 
adoption  before  he  had  properly  squared  accounts  with  King 
Francis.  On  the  journey  from  Paris  to  Lyons  something 
happened  which  might  raise  suspicion.  Messengers  followed 
our  artist,  and  obliged  him  to  give  up  three  pieces  of  silver 
plate  and  some  bullion  on  the  King^s  account.  Cellini  asserts 
that  he  intended  to  deposit  these  valuables  at  Lyons  in  an 
abbey  of  his  old  patron  the  Cardinal  of  Ferrara,  before  he 
left  the  country.  He  argues  with  much  show  of  reason 
that  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  convey  a whole 
mule-load  of  precious  metal  out  of  France  under  the  then 
strict  laws  regarding  exportation.  There  were  further 
circumstances  connected  with  the  King’s  health  at  that 
period  which  made  him  unwilling  to  abandon  so  much 
property  in  Paris  under  the  charge  of  two  Italian  workmen. 
Francis,  in  the  year  1545,  was  already  sinking  into  pre- 
mature decrepitude,  and  his  life  could  not  be  reckoned  on. 
Cellini’s  story  is  therefore  plausible  and  intelligible  enough. 
We  know,  besides,  that  he  subsequently  lost  all  the  effects 
which  he  left  behind  at  Paris  ; nor  have  we  any  reason  to 
doubt  that  Francis  was  satisfied  with  the  lengthy  statement 
which  he  transmitted  from  Florence.^  Yet  the  narrative 
of  his  departure  has  exposed  him  to  a charge  of  peculation 
or  of  seriously  involved  accounts  in  his  transactions  with 
the  King.  I am  not  aware  that  sinister  light  has  been 
thrown  upon  this  matter  from  French  archives.  On  the 
contrary,  we  know  that  Francis,  who  sincerely  liked  him, 
wanted  Cellini  to  return.  What  is  more,  we  possess  a 
letter  written  by  Duke  Cosimo  to  Caterina  de’  Medici  in 
1547,  the  year  of  her  husband’s  accession  to  the  French 
throne,  recommending  Benvenuto  to  his  royal  cousin,  and 
expressly  setting  forth  the  reasons  why  the  artist  had  left 
Paris.^  “He  came  back  to  this  country,”  says  the  Grand 
Duke,  “ in  order  that  his  nieces  might  benefit  by  his 
talents  and  assistance  ; and  I am  no  less  pleased  by  this 
mark  of  dutiful  regard  for  his  family  than  by  the  beauty  of 
his  works.”  For  some  reason  or  another,  Cellini  does  not 

^ Lib.  ii.  chap.  1.  2 ggg  pion,  Benvenuto  Cellini^  p.  67. 

^ Bianchij  p.  588. 


XXXll 


INTRODUCTION 


appear  to  have  used  this  letter.  Still,  twelve  years  after- 
wards, the  Queen  of  France  again  required  his  services. 
Henri  II.  died  in  1559,  and  in  1562  his  widow  had  not  yet 
erected  her  husband’s  monument.  At  the  latter  date  her 
envoy  to  Florence,  Baccio  del  Bene,  invited  Cellini  to  com- 
plete the  work,  which  had  been  begun  by  Daniele  da 
Volterra.^  Whether  he  did  not  care  to  go,  being  old  and 
having  recently  married,  or  whether,  as  he  says,  the  Duke 
refused  him  leave,  cannot  be  decided.  It  is  only  certain 
that  he  never  returned  to  France. 

These  two  episodes  are,  it  seems  to  me,  the  two  most 
dubious  passages  in  Cellini’s  life — those,  I mean,  upon 
which  a charge  of  roguery  might  most  plausibly  be  founded. 
In  the  matter  of  the  Pope’s  jewels  he  stands  acquitted  ; 
but  scrupulous  critics  may  still  perhaps  trace  a mystery  in 
the  circumstances  which  attended  his  quitting  the  service 
of  King  Francis.  It  is  hardly  necessary  here  to  refer  to  a 
sentence  passed  on  him  in  1548  for  selling  garnets  under 
the  pretence  that  they  were  rubies.^  The  facts  are  not 
sufficiently  established. 


XVII 

After  roguery  we  come  now  to  the  question  of  villainy 
and  violence.  When  Benvenuto  was  first  captured  by  the 
Roman  authorities,  they  tried,  as  I have  already  shown,  to 
convict  him  on  a charge  of  stealing  court  jewels.  In  the 
course  of  his  interrogation,  “that  catchpoll  of  a governor” 
said  to  him  ; “And  yet  you  have  murdered  several  men  !”® 
This  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  prisoner’s  accusation  ; but 
it  had,  perhaps,  something  to  do  with  the  attitude  of  his 
judges  ; and  so,  I imagine,  has  it  a great  deal  to  do  with 
the  opinion  people  of  the  present  day  will  form  of  him. 
It  is  certain  that  Cellini  himself  was  not  wholly  indifferent 
to  his  homicides  ; for  when  he  thought  his  throat  was  going 
to  be  cut  in  Torre  di  Nona,  the  memory  of  them  weighed 
upon  his  conscience.^  At  that  moment  he  had  assassinated 

^ Lib.  ii.  chap.  cxii. 

2 See  Mabellini,  Delle  Rime  di  B.  C.,  p.  104,  and  Montazio,  I prigionieri 
del  Mastio  di  Volterra,  p.  200,  note. 

2 Lib.  i.  chap.  ciii. 

* Ibid.,  chap.  cxv. 


INTRODUCTION 


XXXlll 


two  men  in  Rome  upon  the  open  streets,  namely,  the  con- 
stable who  caused  his  brother’s  death,  and  a goldsmith  called 
Pompeo.  He  had  thrice  risked  the  commission  of  wholesale 
slaughter,  once  in  Florence,  once  in  Rome,  and  thirdly  at 
Ferrara  ; but  these  quarrels  resulted  in  no  bloodshed.  It 
does  not  appear  that  he  had  killed  anybody  else,  although  he 
severely  wounded  a man  named  Ser  Benedetto  in  a sudden 
fit  of  rage.i 

So  far,  then,  according  to  his  own  admission,  Cellini 
had  only  two  clear  murders  on  his  mind  in  1538.  Possibly 
he  forgot  a few  of  less  importance,  for  his  memory  was 
not  always  trustworthy  about  trifles.  For  instance,  when 
he  baptized  an  illegitimate  daughter  at  Paris  in  1543,  he 
calmly  remarked:  “This  was  the  first  child  I ever  had, 
so  far  as  I remember  ”2  Afterwards,  he  made  up  to  some 
extent  for  any  previous  omissions  ; for  he  informs  us  with 
circumstantial  details  how  he  killed  the  postmaster  at  Siena, 
and  how  he  disabled  two  of  his  enemies  at  Paris,  carving 
them  about  the  legs  and  arms  with  his  sword,  in  order  to 
avoid  a homicide  and  display  his  skill  at  fence.^ 

Bloodshed,  accordingly,  played  a prominent  part  in  Ben- 
venuto’s life  experiences  ; and  those  who  are  best  acquainted 
with  him  know  that  it  was  hardly  his  fault  if  this  feature  is 
not  more  prominent  in  their  records.  Paolo  Micceri  and 
Baccio  Bandinelli,  for  example,  owed  their  narrow  escape 
from  assassination  less  to  his  forbearance  than  to  their  own 
want  of  pluck.'^  At  this  point,  then,  it  is  necessary  to 
advance  some  arguments  in  his  defence.  In  the  first  place, 
it  will  be  noticed  that  he  speaks  with  pride  and  imper- 
turbability about  these  murderous  exploits.  Whatever  cere- 
mony of  phrase  he  used  in  describing  his  departure  from 
Paris,  there  is  nothing  of  this  sort  when  he  comes  to  relate 
the  details  of  a homicide.  All  is  candid  and  above  board 
upon  these  occasions,  except  when  he  exhibits  a slight  sense 
of  shame  at  being  obliged  to  waylay  his  brother’s  slayer.® 
The  causes  of  this  good  conscience  are  not  far  to  seek. 
I have  already  stated  that  murder  at  that  epoch  passed 
for  a merely  venial  error.  It  was  then  esteemed  the  duty 
of  a vigorous  human  being  to  assert  his  honour  by  taking 

^ Lib.  i.  chap.  Ixvi.  ^ Lib.  ii.  chap,  xxxvii. 

® Ibid.,  chaps,  iv.  xxviii.  ^ Ibid.,  chaps,  xxxiii.  Ixvi. 

® Lib.  i.  chap.  li. 


XXXIV 


INTRODUCTION 


the  lives  of  men  who  had  insulted  or  wronged  him  in  his 
own  judgment,  or  the  lives  of  sisters  and  wives  who  had 
disgraced  his  family.  The  universal  records  of  the  age 
support  this  statement ; and  long  after  Cellini’s  death  theo- 
logical casuists  defended  homicide  on  both  these  counts, 
arguing  that  honour  was  a man’s  life,  and  that  an  assault 
upon  his  honour  was  equivalent  to  an  assault  with  violence 
upon  his  person.  They  justified  murder  when  the  member 
of  a religious  order  vindicated  its  reputation.  They  justified 
infanticide  when  a girl  sought  to  defend  her  good  repute. 
The  casuists  did  but  formulate  social  customs  too  prevalent 
to  be  suppressed,  with  the  pious  view  of  keeping  men  whom 
we  call  criminals  within  the  pale  of  Holy  Church.  Small 
blame  was  it  then  to  Cellini  if  he  practised  what  the  doctors 
preached!  His  acts  of  violence  fell  under  what  were  then 
considered  honourable  categories.  He  speaks  with  satisfac- 
tion about  them,  because  he  plumed  himself  on  their  commis- 
sion, and  reckoned  upon  gaining  credit  with  society.  This 
curious  self-complacency  reaches  its  climax  in  some  lines 
addressed  to  Bandinelli,  who  had  cast  Cellini’s  murders  in 
his  teeth.  Cellini  answered  : “ At  any  rate,  the  men  I have 
killed  do  not  shame  me  so  much  as  your  bad  statues  shame 
you  ] for  the  earth  covers  my  victims,  whereas  yours  are 
exposed  to  the  view  of  the  world.”  Little  did  he  imagine 
how  he  would  be  arraigned,  after  the  lapse  of  full  three 
centuries,  by  English  criticasters  for  what,  at  the  very  worst, 
he  reckoned  splendid  crimes  1 Meanwhile  an  enormous  mass 
of  historical  evidence  remains  to  cast  explanatory  light  upon 
his  singular  illusion.^ 

It  is  harder  to  extenuate  Cellini’s  action  upon  two  occasions 
when  he  killed  nobody,  but  indulged  an  infernal  instinct  of 
revenge.  On  the  first  of  these  occasions,  an  innkeeper  some- 
where near  Chioggia  crossed  his  humour  about  the  proper 
way  of  paying  the  host’s  bill.^  Having  paid  it  overnight, 
our  friend  managed  to  slice  the  man’s  new  beds  up  with  his 
knife  next  morning,  and  decamped,  after  doing  more  than 
fifty  crowns’  worth  of  damage.  The  second  is  one  I cannot 
here  conveniently  deal  with.  It  involves  the  whole  episode 
of  Caterina  and  Paolo  Micceri  in  Paris,  over  which  bio- 
graphers of  Cellini  would  willingly  draw  a veil,  and  the  details 

^ See  my  Renaissance  in  Italy,  vol.  vi.  chaps,  v.  vi. 

® Lib.  i.  chap.  Ixxix. 


INTRODUCTION 


XXXV 


of  -which  are  such  as  to  justify  their  reticence  before  the 
respectable  English  public.^  The  only  defence  which  might 
be  urged  for  Cellini  at  this  point  is  the  one  which  Dante 
used  in  self- exculpation  after  breaking  faith  with  Fra  Alberigo 
on  that  hideous  glacier  in  the  lowest  pit  of  hell.^  In  other 
words,  it  is  necessary  to  invoke  the  principle  that  rogues 
should  be  unmercifully  paid  out  in  their  own  coin  of  roguery. 
But  this  argument  will  hardly  serve  to  excuse  either  Cellini’s 
brutalities  or  Dante’s  malice. 


XVIII 

The  revolting  episode  of  Cellini’s  dealings  with  Caterina 
suggests  another  aspect  of  his  character  which  must  be  lightly 
touched  on.  Not  even  a professed  apologist  can  deny  that 
he  was  reckless  in  the  indulgence  of  his  sensual  appetites. 
We  have  no  evidence  that  he  ever  felt  the  gentler  emotions 
of  love  for  a woman.  Perhaps  his  passion  for  Angelica  comes 
nearest  to  a tender  or  romantic  sentiment ; but  the  grotesque 
ending  of  that  adventure  deprives  it  of  all  dignity.  On  the 
other  hand,  women  of  loose  life  play  a large  part  in  his 
Memoirs;  and  it  is  clear  that  he  changed  mistresses  with 
indiscriminate  facility.  There  is,  moreover,  reason  to  believe 
that  he  was  not  free  from  the  darker  lusts  which  deformed 
Florentine  society  in  that  epoch.®  The  loves  to  which  he 
yielded  were  animal,  licentious,  almost  brutal ; determined 
to  some  extent  by  an  artist’s  feeling  for  beauty,  but  controlled 
by  no  moral  sense  and  elevated  by  no  spiritual  enthusiasm. 


XIX 

Passing  now  from  the  man  to  the  writer  and  the  artist, 
we  have  first  to  regard  Cellini  as  the  composer  of  one  of 
the  world’s  three  or  four  best  autobiographies,  and  next  as 

^ Lib.  ii.  chaps,  xxix.-xxxv. 

^ Divina  Commedia^  Inferno^  xxxiii.  109- 150. 

^ Of  course  he  loudly  protests  his  innocence.  But  his  precipitate  flight  after 
the  affair  of  Cencio  (lib.  ii.  chap.  Ixi.)  is  suspicious.  So  is  the  language  used 
by  Bandinelli  in  his  altercation  with  Cellini  (ib.  chap.  Ixx.).  It  must  also  be 
added  that  he  was  imprisoned  in  1556  on  a charge  of  unnatural  vice.  See 
Mabellini  {Delle  Rimedi  B.  C.,  pp.  106,  129)  on  this  point. 


XXXVl 


INTRODUCTION 


the  most  eminent  exponent  of  the  later  Italian  Renaissance 
in  craftsmanship  of  several  kinds. 

It  would  be  superfluous  to  quote  authorities  upon  the  high 
esteem  in  which  the  Memoirs  are  held,  both  for  their  style 
and  matter,  by  Italians.  Baretti’s  emphatic  eulogy  can  hardly 
be  called  exaggerated  : “ The  Life  of  Benvenuto  Cellini, 
written  by  himself  in  the  pure  and  unsophisticated  idiom  of 
the  Florentine  people,  surpasses  every  book  in  our  literature 
for  the  delight  it  affords  the  reader.’’ 

In  truth,  without  multiplying  passages  of  panegyric,  I am 
confident  that  every  one  who  may  have  curiously  studied 
Italian  history  and  letters  will  pronounce  this  book  to  be  at 
one  and  the  same  time  the  most  perfect  extant  monument 
of  vernacular  Tuscan  prose,  and  also  the  most  complete 
and  lively  source  of  information  we  possess  regarding  man- 
ners, customs,  ways  of  feeling,  and  modes  of  acting  in 
the  sixteenth  century.  Those  who  have  made  themselves 
thoroughly  familiar  with  Cellini’s  Memoirs^  possess  the  sub- 
stance of  that  many-sided  epoch  in  the  form  of  an  epitome. 
It  is  the  first  book  which  a student  of  the  Italian  Renaissance 
should  handle  in  order  to  obtain  the  right  direction  for  his 
more  minute  researches.  It  is  the  last  book  to  which  he 
should  return  at  the  close  of  his  exploratory  voyages.  At 
the  commencement  he  will  find  it  invaluable  for  placing 
him  at  the  exactly  proper  point  of  view.  At  the  end  he 
will  find  it  no  less  invaluable  for  testing  and  verifying  the 
conclusions  he  has  drawn  from  various  sources  and  a wide 
circumference  of  learning.  From  the  pages  of  this  book 
the  Genius  of  the  Renaissance,  incarnate  in  a single  person- 
ality, leans  forth  and  speaks  to  us.  Nowhere  else,  to  my 
mind,  whether  in  the  frescoes  of  the  Sistine  Chapel  or  on 
Palladian  palace  fronts,  in  Ariosto’s  cantos  or  in  Machiavelli’s 
dissertations,  do  we  find  the  full  character  of  the  epoch  so 
authentically  stamped.  That  is  because  this  is  no  work  of 
art  or  of  reflection,  but  the  plain  utterance  of  a man  who 
lived  the  whole  life  of  his  age,  who  felt  its  thirst  for  glory, 
who  shared  its  adoration  of  the  beautiful,  who  blent  its 
paganism  and  its  superstitions,  who  represented  its  two  main 
aspects  of  exquisite  sensibility  to  form  and  almost  brutal 
ruffianism.  We  must  not  expect  from  Cellini  the  finest, 
highest,  purest  accents  of  the  Renaissance.  He  does  not, 
as  an  artist,  transport  us  into  the  heavens  of  Michel  Angelo 


INTRODUCTION 


XXXVll 


and  Tintoretto.  He  has  nothing  of  Ariosto’s  golden  melody 
or  Tasso’s  romantic  love-chant.  He  cannot  wield  Aretino’s 
lash  or  Machiavelli’s  scalpel  of  analysis.  But  his  Memoirs 
enable  us  to  comprehend  how  those  rarer  products  of  the 
Italian  genius  at  a certain  point  of  evolution  were  related  to 
the  common  stuff  of  human  nature  in  the  race  at  large.  For 
students  of  that  age  he  is  at  once  more  and  less  than  his 
illustrious  contemporaries  ; less,  inasmuch  as  he  distinguished 
himself  by  no  stupendous  intellectual  qualities  ; more,  inas- 
much as  he  occupied  a larger  sphere  than  each  of  them 
singly.  He  touched  the  life  of  that  epoch  at  more  points 
than  any  person  who  has  left  a record  of  his  doings.  He 
was  the  first  goldsmith  of  his  time,  an  adequate  sculptor,  a 
restless  traveller,  an  indefatigable  workman,  a Bohemian  of 
the  purest  water,  a turbulent  bravo,  a courtier  and  companion 
of  princes  ; finally,  a Florentine  who  used  his  native  idiom 
with  incomparable  vivacity  of  style.  These  qualities  com- 
bined in  a single  personality,  strongly  marked  by  specific 
characteristics,  yet  peculiar  to  the  sixteenth  century  in  Italy, 
render  him  unique  as  a guide  through  the  labyrinth  of  that 
brilliant  but  perplexing  epoch. 


XX 

The  literary  merits  of  Cellini’s  autobiography  demand  a 
passing  notice.  Notwithstanding  the  plebeian  simplicity  of 
his  language,  he  has  described  some  scenes  with  a dramatic 
vigour  and  a richness  of  colouring  rarely  to  be  found  upon 
the  pages  of  romance  or  history.  Among  these  I would  call 
attention  to  the  Roman  banquet,  during  which  Diego,  dressed 
magnificently  like  a woman,  won  the  homage  of  assembled 
artists ; to  the  conjuration  in  the  Coliseum ; Cecchino’s 
deathbed ; Benvenuto’s  vision  of  the  sun  while  lying  sick 
and  hopeless  in  his  dungeon  ; the  phantom  of  Charon  which 
haunted  him  throughout  a lingering  fever ; the  exhibition  of 
his  Jupiter  in  the  great  gallery  of  Fontainebleau  ; the  Parisian 
law-court ; and  the  long  episode  of  his  casting  the  bronze 
Perseus.  His  memory  was  so  tenacious  that  he  could  pre- 
sent the  incidents  of  bygone  years,  with  all  their  circum- 
stances, just  as  though  his  eye  were  on  the  object.  Without 
conscious  effort  he  communicates  the  atmosphere,  the  local 


XXXVlll 


INTRODUCTION 


colour,  the  specific  feeling  of  each  place  he  visited.  Ferrara 
has  a different  note  from  Florence,  Rome  from  Paris,  in  his 
narrative.  Yet  it  is  clear  that  he  never  took  thought  about 
word-painting.  The  literary  result  is  not  attained  by  ex- 
ternal touches  of  description,  but  by  the  vigorous  repro- 
duction of  a multitude  of  impressions  made  upon  his  eagerly 
observant  nature.  This  quality  of  vivid  vision  makes  itself 
peculiarly  felt  in  the  narrative  of  his  dangerous  passage 
across  the  Lake  of  Wallenstadt.^  Here  every  detail  con- 
tributes to  the  presentation  of  a specifically  Swiss  landscape 
— the  steep  and  cavernous  cliff's  of  the  Churfirsten,  the  dreary 
rain  beating  upon  precipitous  lawns  and  hanging  fir-woods, 
the  night-watchman  in  the  town  of  Glarus,  the  sudden 
breaking  of  a glorious  day  upon  the  Lake  of  Zurich,  and 
then  the  little  city  of  Zurich  itself — cilia  maravigliosa  pulita 
quanto  un  gioiello. 

Having  already  touched  upon  his  power  of  portrait-paint- 
ing with  the  pen,  I need  not  return  to  that  topic.^  It  should, 
however,  be  remarked  that  his  method  of  sketching  men 
resembles  his  treatment  of  things  and  places.  There  is  very 
little  of  description.  The  characters  present  themselves  so 
vividly  before  our  eyes  because  they  were  so  clearly  visible 
to  Cellini’s  mind  while  writing,  because  he  so  firmly  seized 
what  was  to  him  essential  in  their  personalities,  and  so 
powerfully  communicated  the  impression  made  upon  his 
sensibilities  by  contact  with  them. 


XXI 

Cellini’s  autobiography  might  also  be  studied  from  the 
side  of  humour.  Many  passages  remind  us  of  the  Floren- 
tine Novelle,  notably  of  the  old  tale  entitled  ll  Grasso 
Legnaiuolo,  and  of  Lasca’s  stories  about  Pilucca  and  his 
mischievous  companions.  Take,  for  example,  the  episode 
of  his  quarrel  with  Bernardone,  and  the  burlesque  revenge 
with  which  he  chastised  that  fellow’s  coarseness.^  The 
same  note  of  Florentine  bizarrerie  distinguishes  the  less 
agreeable  incident  in  the  tavern  near  Chioggia.'^  Again, 


^ Lib.  i.  chaps,  xcv.-xcvii. 
^ Lib.  ii.  chap.  Ixxxix. 


See  above,  pp.  xxv.  xxvi. 
Lib.  i.  chap.  Ixxix. 


INTRODUCTION 


XXXIX 


how  racy,  how  native  to  the  soil,  is  that  altercation  between 
Cellini  and  the  old  hag  in  a deserted  street  of  the  plague- 
stricken  city  ! ^ While  posing  as  a hero,  he  was  able  to 
see  the  humorous  side  of  himself  also.  This  is  shown  in 
the  passage  where  he  relates  how  his  good-natured  house- 
keeper bantered  him.^  But  it  is  enough  to  have  indicated 
these  aspects  of  the  Memoirs,  The  charm  of  the  whole  book 
very  largely  consists  in  a vivacity  and  elasticity  of  narrative 
style,  which  passes  from  grave  to  gay,  from  passion  to  mirth, 
from  the  serious  occupations  of  the  artist  to  the  light  amuse- 
ments of  the  man  of  pleasure,  without  perceptible  transi- 
tions, the  author^s  own  intense  individuality  pervading  and 
connecting  each  successive  mood. 


XXII 

After  reviewing  Cellini  s autobiography,  it  should  be  men- 
tioned that  he  appeared  in  his  own  lifetime  as  an  author.^ 
He  published  two  treatises  : one  upon  the  goldsmith’s  art, 
describing  its  several  processes  in  detail  ; another  upon 
sculpture,  with  special  reference  to  bronze-foundry.  These 
dissertations  are  of  the  highest  value  for  students  of  Renais- 
sance craftsmanship,  at  a time  when  the  experience  of  cen- 
turies had  been  condensed  in  the  practice  and  principles 
of  a first -rate  master.  They  rank,  moreover,  as  excellent 
specimens  of  sound  Italian  style  applied  to  the  purpose  of 
technical  exposition.^  In  the  next  place,  we  possess  the 
fragments  of  a discourse  on  Architecture,  and  a short  defence 
of  Sculpture  against  Painting,  from  which  numerous  details 
regarding  the  artist’s  works  and  theories  can  be  derived. 

Cellini,  like  every  Florentine  of  many-sided  genius,  was 
also  ambitious  of  making  his  mark  as  a poet.  Some  speci- 
mens of  his  compositions  will  be  found  translated  in  the 

^ Lib.  i.  chap,  xl.  2 chap.  Ixxyii. 

^ The  prose  works  and  collected  poems  may  best  be  studied  in  Milanesi’s 
edition  (Florence,  Le  Monnier,  1857).  Mabellini’s  little  book,  Delle  Rime  di 
B.  C.  (Roma,  Paravia,  1885),  deserves  careful  attention  for  its  patient  and 
subtle  analysis  of  Cellini’s  verses. 

‘We  have  good  reason  to  suppose  that  they  were  re-written  by  a man  of 
letters  before  going  to  press.  Signor  Milanesi  believes  that  Gherardo  Spini 
performed  this  office  for  the  author.  See  his  Tratiati^  drc.,  Florence,  Le 
Monnier,  1857,  p.  xvii. 


xl 


INTRODUCTION 


following  pages  ; and  a collection  has  recently  been  formed 
of  his  scattered  versesd  As  might  be  guessed,  they  are 
not  the  productions  of  a literary  master  ; yet  they  confirm 
our  opinion  of  his  singularly  keen  and  stringent  personality. 
Having  received  no  education  in  letters,  Cellini  never  learned 
to  write  grammatically.  His  poetry  suffers  naturally  more 
than  his  prose  from  awkward  incoherences.  He  rhymed 
with  difficulty ; frequently  tripped  in  rhythm  and  accent ; 
and  affected  such  far-fetched  conceits  and  violent  images 
that  a large  portion  of  his  sonnets  are  unintelligible.  Of 
these  defects  he  was  fully  conscious,  speaking  with  modest 
humour  of  his  hoschereccia  Musa,  or  untutored  rustic  in- 
spiration. 


XXIII 

Cellini  has,  finally,  to  be  estimated  as  an  artist  in  the 
narrower  sense  of  that  word.  While  approaching  this  part 
of  our  subject,  it  is  worth  remembering  that  he  showed  in 
boyhood  a strong  predilection  for  the  arts  of  design.  His 
father  longed  to  make  him  a musician  ; but  though  the  lad 
became  a skilful  flute-player,  he  displayed  the  strongest 
aversion  to  this  exercise  of  his  talents.  On  the  other  hand, 
his  love  for  drawing  and  his  inborn  mastery  over  technical 
processes  of  all  kinds  made  themselves  so  manifest,  that  no 
doubt  remained  about  his  real  vocation.  Like  nearly  all  the 
greatest  Florentine  artists  before  him,  sculptors,  painters, 
architects,  and  engravers,  he  was  put  at  an  early  age  to  the 
goldsmith’s  trade.  Oreficeria,  as  then  understood,  formed 
an  epitome  of  all  the  plastic  arts.*-^  The  young  goldsmith 
did  not  merely  learn  how  to  work  in  precious  metals  and  to 
set  jewels.  He  was  bound  to  become  acquainted  with  the 
mysteries  of  brassfoundry,  the  methods  of  hammering  iron, 
the  secrets  of  chiselling  steel  for  medals  and  casting  dies. 
He  had  to  make  himself  an  expert  draughtsman,  to  study 
anatomy,  to  model  from  the  nude,  and  to  acquire  familiarity 


^ See  Milanesi’s  edition  of  the  Trattati,  cited  above. 

^ Of  this  relation  of  Orejiceria  to  the  other  arts  Cellini  himself  was  fully 
conscious.  Rewrites  as  follows:  “L’  arte  dell’  orefice,  per  essere  maggior 
arte  di  tutte.” —Trattati,  p.  277. 

He  speaks  of  architecture,  sculpture,  and  painting  as  “ sorelle  carnali  ” of 
oreficeria. — Ibid.,  p.  6. 


INTRODUCTION 


xli 


with  antique  masterpieces.  Enamelling  and  niello  formed 
special  branches  of  his  craft ; nor  could  architecture  be 
neglected,  because  he  was  often  called  upon  to  fashion 
tabernacles,  and  to  execute  large  works  in  gold  or  silver 
which  resembled  buildings  by  their  intricacy  of  design. 
During  the  course  of  this  apprenticeship  he  gained  further 
insight  into  numerous  subordinate  processes,  such  as  model- 
ling in  wax  or  stucco,  baking  terra-cotta,  preparing  foils  for 
gems.  He  studied  the  qualities  of  precious  stones  and  pearls. 
He  handled  every  instrument,  from  the  hammer  of  the  gold- 
beater and  the  chisel  of  the  stone-cutter  down  to  the  en- 
graver’s burin  and  the  palette  of  paste- mixers.  He  had  to 
be  as  ready  at  the  anvil  or  the  furnace  as  at  the  more  delicate 
operations  of  wire-drawing  and  filigree  manipulation.  From 
the  workshop  of  a master-goldsmith  the  apprentice  went  forth 
able  to  select  his  own  particular  branch  of  industry.  Mean- 
while it  must  not  be  forgotten  that,  so  long  as  he  remained  a 
goldsmith,  he  was  forced  to  work  in  miniature.  His  many 
technical  accomplishments  were  employed  chiefly  in  pro- 
ducing articles  of  plate,  jewellery,  and  costly  furniture.  This 
made  him,  while  he  continued  in  the  trade,  a servant  of 
popular  caprice  and  fashion,  which  varied  with  the  change 
of  seasons.  Those  world-famous  masters  who,  like  Ghir- 
landajo,  Donatello,  and  Brunelleschi,  won  glory  by  their 
subsequent  achievements  in  painting,  sculpture,  and  archi- 
tecture, devoted  themselves  to  special  studies  in  the  higher 
arts  soon  after  their  prentice-days  were  over.  This  was  not 
the  case  with  Cellini.  He  continued  to  be  a goldsmith  in 
the  strict  sense  of  that  term  until  he  had  completed  his 
fortieth  year.  This  fact  has  to  be  taken  into  account  when 
we  criticise  his  serious  efforts  in  statuary. 

It  does  not  appear  that  during  his  early  manhood  Cellini 
felt  any  inclination  to  abandon  the  craft  which  he  had  chosen 
in  boyhood.  Perhaps  Nature  had  not  gifted  him  with  those 
imperative  instincts  which  force  some  artists  to  become  sculp- 
tors or  painters.  Perhaps  the  large  admixture  of  the  bravo 
and  the  pleasure-seeker  in  his  character  prevented  him  from 
applying  to  intellectual  studies,  and  from  using  his  technical 
acquirements  as  a stepping-stone  toward  nobler  undertakings. 
It  would  indeed  seem  as  though  he  was  naturally  formed  to 
be  a goldsmith,  but  that  ambition  led  him  at  an  advanced 
period  of  life  to  rival  men  who  had  already  made  their  mark 

d 


xlii 


INTRODUCTION 


in  sculpture.  At  any  rate,  he  exercised  his  eminent  artistic 
faculties  through  more  than  half  his  lifetime  in  the  humbler 
trade,  earning  much  money  by  his  undisputed  excellence, 
spending  it  freely,  and  forming  no  plans  for  the  future.  In 
this  way  he  became  an  adept  in  all  the  technicalities  of 
plastic  art ; but  the  heart  and  soul  and  vigour  of  the  man 
found  vent  through  other  channels.  In  1527,  for  instance, 
we  know  that  he  was  upon  the  point  of  throwing  up  his 
profession  and  accepting  a captaincy  under  Orazio  Baglioni. 
The  bravo  and  the  soldier  kept  disputing  with  the  artist  in 
his  nature.  Meanwhile  he  never  relaxed  his  efforts  to  become 
the  most  expert  and  inventive  goldsmith  of  his  time.  The 
defects  which  are  apparent  in  his  more  ambitious  works, 
and  which  I shall  have  to  point  out  shortly,  may  be  ascribed 
to  this  composite  temper  and  to  this  prolonged  contentment 
with  a subordinate  branch  of  industry.  He  had  the  qualities 
of  a consummate  craftsman,  not  those  of  an  imaginative  artist, 
who  is  led  irresistibly  to  dedicate  his  life  with  all  its  energies 
to  the  ideal. 


XXIV 

Few  of  Benvenuto’s  masterpieces  in  jewellery  and  gold- 
smith’s work  survive.^  Artists  who  aspire  to  immortality 
should  shun  the  precious  metals.  The  same  fate  has  pro- 
bably befallen  Cellini’s  handiwork  as  befell  the  jewels  he  took 
to  pieces  in  the  Castle  of  S.  Angelo.  Critics  have  blamed  his 
callousness  on  that  occasion  ; but  he  knew  well  that  it  is  of  no 
use  to  waste  a sigh  over  things  in  their  nature  so  ephemeral 
as  gold  and  silver  settings.  Still,  some  authentic  pieces  of 
his  workmanship  may  be  inspected  in  the  collections  of 
Florence,  Vienna,  Paris,  Munich,  and  Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. 
Perhaps  the  most  interesting  are  the  golden  salt-cellar  at 
Vienna  and  the  medallions  of  Clement  VII.  and  Alessandro 
de’  Medici,  since  these  are  minutely  described  for  us  in  his 
Memoirs. 

In  technical  excellence,  as  regards  all  processes  of  hand- 
ling, chasing,  and  engraving,  setting  and  mounting  precious 
stones,  enamelling  metals,  and  adapting  ingenious  designs 

1 The  exhaustive  work  of  M.  Eugene  Plon,  Benvenuto  Cellini,  Orfevre, 
Medailleur,  Sculpteiir,  Paris,  1883,  contains  a complete  catalogue  of  authentic 
and  doubtful  pieces. 


INTRODUCTION 


xliii 


with  bold  invention  to  the  special  purpose  of  the  object, 
these  rare  remnants  of  Cellini^s  art  defy  competition.  It 
must,  however,  be  admitted  that,  even  while  working  on  a 
small  scale,  he  displayed  more  manual  dexterity  and  more 
ornamental  luxuriance  than  any  of  the  higher  intellectual 
gifts.  The  man,  as  he  stands  revealed  in  his  autobiography, 
was  lacking  in  reserve,  in  delicacy,  in  fineness  of  emotion,  in 
what  the  Germans  call  Innigkeit,  in  elevation  of  soul  and 
imaginative  purity.  The  very  qualities  which  render  his  life- 
history  dramatic  prove  the  externality  of  his  nature,  the 
violence  and  almost  coarseness  of  his  temperament,  the 
absence  of  poetry,  reflection,  reverie,  and  spiritual  atmos- 
phere in  his  whole  being.  We  are  not,  therefore,  surprised 
to  find  that  his  artistic  work,  in  spite  of  its  prodigious  skill, 
fecundity  of  invention,  energy,  and  thoroughness  of  execu- 
tion, is  deficient  in  depth,  deficient  in  sweetness,  deficient 
in  true  dignity  and  harmony,  deficient  in  those  suggestive 
beauties  which  inspire  a dream  and  waken  sympathy  in  the 
beholder. 

Shortcomings  of  this  kind  in  the  moral  and  intellectual 
elements  of  art  were  not  peculiar  to  Cellini.  They  mark 
nearly  the  whole  productions  of  his  epoch.  Only  at  Venice 
did  the  really  grand  style  survive  in  the  painting  of  Titian, 
Veronese,  and  Tintoretto.  Michel  Angelo  indeed  was  yet 
alive  in  1543,  the  year  when  Benvenuto  essayed  works  on 
a large  scale  in  sculpture ; but  Michel  Angelo’s  greatest 
achievements  belonged  to  the  past.  Giulio  Romano  retained 
something  of  the  sacred  fire  which  animated  his  master 
Raphael’s  pictures.  His  vigorous  but  coarse  and  soulless 
frescoes  may  be  properly  compared  with  Cellini’s  statuary. 
Meanwhile,  the  marbles  of  Bandinelli  and  Ammanati,  the 
manneristic  productions  of  Montelupo  and  Montorsoli,  the 
slovenly  performances  of  Vasari,  the  cold  and  vacuous  paint- 
ings of  Bronzino,  reveal  even  a lower  spiritual  vitality.  The 
lamp  of  plastic  art  had  burned  low  in  Italy. 


XXV 

When  Cellini  left  the  sphere  of  jewellery  and  goldsmith’s 
work,  that  emptiness  of  emotional  and  moral  intention  on 
which  I have  been  dwelling  became  even  more  apparent. 


xliv 


INTRODUCTION 


It  was  during  his  second  visit  to  France,  in  the  year  1543 
that  he  aspired  to  be  a sculptor  in  the  strict  sense  of  the 
word.  At  Paris  he  began  to  cast  statues  on  a large  scale 
in  bronze,  and  to  design  colossal  works  combining  statuary 
and  architecture.  Of  the  clay  models  for  the  fountain  at 
Fontainebleau,  with  its  gigantic  Mars,  so  minutely  described 
in  his  autobiography,  nothing,  so  far  as  I am  aware,  is  now 
extant.  But  we  still  possess  the  Nymph,  which  was  trans- 
ferred from  Fontainebleau  by  Henry  II.  to  Diane  de  Poi tier’s 
country-seat  at  Anet,  and  thence  removed  to  the  galleries 
of  the  Louvre,  where  it  may  now  be  seen.  The  defects  of 
this  recumbent  figure  are  obvious.  Though  it  might  pass 
muster  on  a candlestick,  the  model,  expanded  to  something 
over  life-size,  reveals  a fatal  want  of  meaning.  The  vacant 
features,  the  defective  physical  structure,  and  the  inert  pose 
of  this  nude  woman  are  not  compensated  by  the  success 
of  Benvenuto’s  casting,  which  is  indeed  remarkable.  All 
the  bad  points  of  the  later  Florentine  school  appear  here — 
a preposterous  elongation  of  the  body,  an  affected  attenua- 
tion of  the  joints  and  extremities,  and  a complete  absence 
of  expression. 


XXVI 

It  was  not  perhaps  Cellini’s  fault  that,  having  worked  till 
past  forty  as  a goldsmith,  he  should  fail  to  produce  an  ideal 
statue  at  the  first  attempt.  We  ought  rather  to  note  with 
admiration  his  industry  in  the  pursuit  of  this  new  aim,  and 
the  progress  he  afterwards  made  under  great  difficulties  at 
Florence.  His  sojourn  at  Paris  in  the  service  of  King 
Francis  somewhat  spoiled  him  as  a man,  but  powerfully 
stimulated  his  energies  as  an  artist.  After  his  return  to 
Italy,  he  was  always  more  or  less  discontented  with  his 
lot ; but  he  never  ceased  to  be  ambitious.  From  that  last 
period  of  his  active  life  (1545-1559)  five  eminent  specimens 
of  sculptor’s  work  remain.  One  of  these  is  the  large  bronze 
bust  of  Duke  Cosimo,  now  to  be  seen  in  the  Palazzo  del 
Bargello  at  Florence.  It  is  an  unsympathetic  and  heavy 
piece  of  portraiture,  but  true  to  the  character  of  the  model. 
A second  is  the  bust  of  Bindo  Altoviti  in  the  Palazzo  Alto- 
viti  at  Rome.  Another  is  the  antique  statue  in  the  Uffizzi, 


INTRODUCTION 


xlv 


restored  by  Benvenuto  for  a Ganymede.  He  had  to  supply 
the  head,  arms,  and  part  of  the  legs  of  this  fragment.  The 
marble,  so  far  as  I remember,  is  well  wrought,  but  the 
motive  of  the  restored  figure  shows  a misconception  of 
classical  art.  The  boy’s  head,  to  begin  with,  is  like  some 
wax  block  in  a barber’s  window — expressionless,  simpering, 
and  crisply  curled.  Then,  instead  of  lifting  the  cup  for 
Jove  to  drink  from,  this  Florentine  Ganymede  teases  a 
fawning  eagle  at  his  side  by  holding  up  a goldfinch  for  the 
royal  bird  to  peck  at.  Before  speaking  of  the  Perseus, 
which  is  Cellini’s  masterpiece,  I must  allude  to  his  Crucifix 
in  white  marble.  This  he  esteemed  one  of  his  best  pro- 
ductions, and  we  have  abundant  evidence  to  prove  that 
folk  in  Florence  were  of  his  opinion.  It  still  exists  in  the 
Escorial,  whither  the  Grand  Duke  sent  it  as  a present  to 
Philip  II.  of  Spain.  Not  having  seen  the  Crucifix,  I can 
pass  no  judgment  on  its  artistic  quality  or  value  as  a piece 
of  Christian  sculpture.^ 


XXVII 

Cellini’s  most  substantial  title  to  fame  rests,  and  must 
always  rest,  upon  his  Perseus,  that  dramatic  bronze  so 
superbly  placed  upon  its  pedestal  in  the  Loggia  de’  Lanzi, 
fronting  the  great  piazza  of  Florence.  Until  quite  recently 
this  statue  stood  in  close  proximity  to  Michel  Angelo’s  David. 
It  still  challenges  comparison  with  Donatello’s  Judith,  the 
Hercules  and  Cacus  of  Bandinelli,  Ammanati’s  Neptune, 
and  Gian  Bologna’s  Rape  of  the  Sabines.  Surrounded  by 
these  earlier  and  contemporary  performances  of  the  Floren- 
tine school,  the  Perseus  holds  its  own  with  honour.  It 
lacks,  indeed,  the  severe  pregnaney  and  sombre  reserve  of 
Donatello’s  style.  It  misses  the  athletic  simplicity  and 
massive  strength  of  Miehel  Angelo’s  hero.  But  it  has  some- 
thing of  fascination,  a bravura  brilhancy,  a sharpness  of 
technical  precision,  a singular  and  striking  picturesqueness, 
which  the  works  of  those  elder  masters  want.  Far  above 
Gian  Bologna’s  academical  group  of  two  naked  men  and 
a naked  woman,  above  the  blatant  incapacity  of  Bandinelli 

^ The  fine  engraving  of  this  crucifix  in  Plon’s  book  (planche  xx.)  suggests 
that  Cellini  aimed  at  a realistic  representation  of  physical  exhaustion. 


xlvi 


INTRODUCTION 


and  the  dull  pomposity  of  Ammanati,  the  Perseus  soars  into 
a region  of  authentic,  if  not  pure  or  sublime,  inspiration. 
No  one  who  has  seen  it  once  will  forget  that  ornate  figure 
of  the  demigod,  triumphant  in  his  stately  pose  above  the 
twisted  corpse  of  the  decapitated  Gorgon. 

Much  might  be  urged  in  depreciation  of  Cellini’s  Perseus. 
Contrary  to  the  traditions  of  later  Florentine  design,  the 
hero’s  body  is  too  thick,  his  limbs  too  coarse,  and  his  head 
too  large  for  statuesque  dignity.  Why  this  should  be  so 
tempts  our  curiosity ; for  the  small  wax  model  made  by 
Cellini,  and  now  preserved  among  several  precious  relics 
of  like  sort  in  the  Palazzo  del  Bargello,  exhibits  the  same 
figure  with  longer  and  slimmer  proportions.  There  the 
Perseus  stands  as  light  and  airy  as  Gian  Bologna’s  Mercury^ 
without  any  loss  of  his  superhuman  vigour.  I have  some- 
times indulged  the  conjecture  that  Benvenuto  deliberately 
shortened  and  thickened  his  statue  with  the  view  of  working 
it  in  bronze.  We  know  that  he  was  anxiously  preoccupied 
with  the  problem  of  casting  the  whole  figure  in  such  wise 
that  the  liquid  metal  should  fill  all  parts  of  the  mould, 
from  the  upraised  head  of  Medusa  to  the  talaria  and  feet 
of  Perseus,  at  one  jet.  He  succeeded  in  this  iour  de  force 
of  technical  dexterity.  But  possibly  he  sacrificed  the  grace 
and  elevation  of  his  own  conception  to  the  ambition  of  the 
craftsman.  Be  this  as  it  may,  the  first  defect  to  notice  in 
the  Perseus  is  this  of  physical  vulgarity.  Then  the  face  is 
comparatively  vacant  of  expression,  though  less  so  than 
with  many  of  the  master’s  works.  Next,  the  helmet  is 
surcharged  with  ornament,  and  the  torso  displays  many 
meaningless  muscular  details.  But  after  these  criticisms 
have  been  made,  the  group — that  is,  the  conquering  hero 
and  the  prostrate  Gorgon — remains  one  of  the  most  attrac- 
tive products  of  modern  statuary.  We  discern  in  it  the 
last  spark  of  genuine  Italian  Renaissance  inspiration.^  It 
is  still  instinct  with  the  fire  and  bizarre  force  of  Florentine 
genius. 

The  pedestal  has  been,  not  altogether  unjustly,  blamed 
for  being  too  small  for  the  statue  it  supports.  In  proportion 
to  the  mass  of  bronze  above  it,  this  elaborately  decorated 

1 The  works  of  Jean  Boullogne  of  Douai,  commonly  called  Gian  Bologna, 
which  are  somewhat  later  in  date  than  Cellini’s,  ought  perhaps  to  have  been 
mentioned  as  exceptions  in  the  sentence  above. 


INTRODUCTION 


xlvii 


base  is  slight  and  overloaded  with  superfluous  details.  Yet 
I do  not  feel  sure  that  Cellini  might  not  have  pleaded 
something  in  self-defence  against  our  criticism.  No  one 
thinks  of  the  pedestal  when  he  has  once  caught  sight  of 
Perseus.  It  raises  the  demigod  in  air ; and  that  suffices 
for  the  sculptor’s  purpose.  Afterwards,  when  our  minds 
are  satiated  with  the  singular  conception  so  intensely 
realised  by  the  enduring  art  of  bronze,  we  turn  in  leisure 
moments  to  the  base  on  which  the  statue  rests.  Our  fancy 
plays  among  those  masks  and  cornucopias,  those  goats  and 
female  Satyrs,  those  little  snuff-box  deities,  and  the  wayward 
bas-relief  beneath  them.  There  is  much  to  amuse,  if  not  to 
instruct  or  inspire  us  there. 

Although  the  Perseus  may  not  be  a great  work  of  plastic 
design,  worthy  of  sculpture  in  its  best  periods,  it  can  never 
cease  to  be  the  most  characteristic  product  of  the  vehement, 
ambitious  artist’s  soul  which  throbbed  in  the  writer  of 
Cellini’s  Memoirs.  It  remains  the  final  effort  of  Florentine 
genius  upon  the  wane,  striking  a last  blow  for  the  ideals, 
mistaken,  perchance,  but  manfully  pursued,  which  Florence 
followed  through  the  several  stages  of  the  Renaissance. 


XXVIII 

Cellini’s  autobiography  circulated  in  MS.  and  was  fre- 
quently copied  before  its  first  committal  to  the  press  in 
1730.  The  result  is  that  the  extant  MSS.  differ  considerably 
in  their  readings,  and  that  the  editions,  of  which  I am 
acquainted  with  six,  namely,  those  of  Cocchi,  Carpani,  Tassi, 
Molini,  Bianchi,  and  Camerini,  have  by  no  means  equal 
value.^  The  one  to  be  generally  recommended  is  that  of 

^ I.  Antonio  Cocchi’s  edition  was  printed  at  Naples  in  1730,  with  the  date 
Colonia.  2.  Gio.  Palamede  Carpani’s  was  printed  in  three  vols.  at  Milan, 
Soc.  Tip.  de’  Classici  Italiani,  in  1806.  3.  Francesco  Tassi’s  appeared  at 

Florence,  Guglielmo  Piatti,  in  three  vols.,  1829.  4.  Giuseppe  Molini’s 

appeared  at  Florence,  Tipogr.  all’  insegna  di  Dante,  in  two  vols.,  1832.  This 
edition  had  been  preceded  by  a duodecimo  text  published  by  Molini  on  the 
30th  of  December  1830,  simultaneously  with  Tassi’s  above  mentioned.  When 
Molini  compared  Tassi’s  text  with  the  Laurentian  MS.,  he  saw  that  there  was 
room  for  a third  edition  (that  of  1832),  more  exact  than  either.  5.  B.  Bianchi’s 
appeared  at  Florence,  Le  Monnier,  one  vol.,  1852.  6.  That  of  Eugenio 

Camerini,  Milan,  Sonzogno,  1886,  is  a popular  reprint,  with  an  introduction 
and  some  additional  notes.  The  text  which  I have  principally  used  is 


xlviii 


INTRODUCTION 


Signor  B.  Bianchi,  founded  upon  the  preceding  edition  of 
Molini.  Tassi  and  Molini,  I must  state,  were  the  first  editors 
to  avail  themselves  of  the  original  or  parent  codex,  while 
Bianchi  compared  Molini’s  printed  text  throughout  with  the 
autograph.  This  authoritative  MS.  belongs  to  the  Lauren- 
tian  collection  in  Florence.  It  was  written  for  the  most 
part  by  Michele  di  Goro  Vestri,  the  youth  whom  Cellini 
employed  as  his  amanuensis ; in  some  parts  also  by  himself, 
and  again  by  a second  amanuensis.  Perhaps  we  owe  its 
abrupt  and  infelicitous  conclusion  to  the  fact  that  Benvenuto 
disliked  the  trouble  of  writing  with  his  own  hand.  From 
notes  upon  the  codex,  it  appears  that  this  was  the  MS.  sub- 
mitted to  Benedetto  Varchi  in  1559.  It  once  belonged  to 
Andrea,  the  son  of  Lorenzo  Cavalcanti.  His  son,  Lorenzo 
Cavalcanti,  gave  it  to  the  poet  Redi,  who  used  it  as  a testo 
di  lingua  for  the  Della  Cruscan  vocabulary.  Subsequently 
it  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  booksellers,  and  was  bought 
by  L.  Poirot,  who  bequeathed  it,  on  his  death  in  1825,  to  the 
Laurentian  Library.^ 

The  autobiography  has  been  translated  into  German  by 
Goethe,  into  French  by  Leopold  Leclanche,  and  into  English 
by  Nugent  and  Roscoe.  The  German  version,  I need  hardly 
say,  is  an  excellent  piece  of,  pure  and  solid  style  ; and,  for 
the  most  part,  I have  found  it  reproduce  the  meaning  of 
the  original  with  fidelity.  The  French,  which  appeared 
subsequently  to  a version  of  Vasari  by  the  same  translator, 
displays  a more  intimate  familiarity  with  sixteenth-century 
Italian  than  Goethe’s  ; but  it  is  sometimes  careless,  espe- 
cially toward  the  conclusion,  showing  that  the  writer  did 
not  always  choose  to  follow  Cellini  in  his  redundancies  of 
phrase.  Of  the  English  version  which  bears  the  name  of 

Bianchi’s.  I may  here  take  occasion  to  explain  that  the  notes  appended  to 
my  translation  have  to  a large  extent  been  condensed  from  the  annotations 
of  Carpani’s,  Tassi’s,  and  Molini’s  editions,  with  some  additional  information 
derived  from  Bianchi,  Camerini,  and  the  valuable  French  work  of  Plon  {B.  C., 
Orfevre^  Medaillcur^  Sculptetir^  Paris,  1883).  A considerable  number  of  notes 
have  been  supplied  by  myself,  partly  upon  details  respecting  the  Italian  text, 
and  partly  upon  points  connected  with  history  and  technical  artistic  processes. 
It  does  not  seem  necessary,  after  this  acknowledgment,  to  refer  each  item  to 
the  original  sources  which  have  been  successively  incorporated  into  a variorum 
commentary  on  the  Memoirs^  or  to  indicate  the  portion  I can  claim  for  my 
own  researches. 

^ See  Tassi,  vol.  i.  pp.  xix.-xxiv. ; and  Molini,  vol.  i.  pp.  vi.-ix.,  for  the 
history  of  this  MS. 


INTRODUCTION 


xlix 


Thomas  Roscoe,  son  to  the  distinguished  author  of  the  Lives 
of  Lorenzo  de^  Medici  and  Leo  X.,  I am  unable  to  speak  very 
highly.  It  has  the  merit  of  a sound  old-fashioned  style,  but 
it  is  grossly  inaccurate  ; the  unintentional  misunderstandings 
of  the  text  are  innumerable,  and  the  translator  has  felt  him- 
self at  liberty  to  omit  or  to  misrepresent  whole  passages 
which  he  deemed  unfit  for  ears  and  eyes  polite.  Since  my 
excuse  for  offering  a new  translation  to  the  English  pubUc 
rests  upon  the  deficiencies  of  Roscoe,  I must  be  permitted 
to  point  out  a few  of  his  errors  in  this  place. 

To  begin  with,  although  Mr.  Roscoe  in  his  preface  declares 
that  he  has  adhered  closely  to  the  original  text  published 
by  Molini,  he  deals  unscrupulously  with  some  important 
passages.  For  example,  he  blurs  the  incident  of  Faustina 
and  her  waiting-maid  recorded  in  Book  i.  chap.  xxix.  He 
suppresses  the  episode  of  Paolo  Micceri  and  Caterina  in 
Book  ii.  chaps,  xxx.,  xxxiii.-xxxv.  He  confuses  the  story  of 
Cencio  and  La  Gambetta  in  Book  ii.  chap.  Ixi.  It  is  true 
that  he  might  defend  his  action  on  the  score  that  these 
passages  are  unedifying  and  offensive  ; but  he  ought  to  have 
indicated  the  nature  and  extent  of  his  modifications  and 
omissions.  Personally,  I am  of  opinion  that  if  a book  is 
worth  translating,  it  ought  to  be  set  forth  at  full.  Upon 
this  principle  I have  made  my  own  version,  feeling  that  it 
is  not  right  to  defraud  English  readers  of  any  insight  into 
the  conditions  of  society  in  the  sixteenth  century,  or  of  any 
insight  into  the  character  of  Cellini  himself,  which  these 
Memoirs  may  afford.  Here,  however,  there  is  room  for 
various  judgments ; and  some  critics  may  maintain  that 
Roscoe  chose  the  more  expedient  method. 

Upon  the  point  of  accuracy,  on  the  other  hand,  all  com- 
petent judges  will  be  agreed.  I therefore  proceed  to  select 
a few  test- passages  which  will  show  how  little  Roscoe’s 
translation  is  to  be  relied  upon.  In  each  case  I will  first 
copy  the  Italian,  next  add  a literal  version,  and  finally  give 
Roscoe’s  words : — 

I 

Questo  cartone  fu  la  prima  bella  opera  che  Michel  Agnolo  mostrb 
delle  maravigliose  sue  virtu,  e lo  fece  a gara  con  un  altro  che  lo 
faceva.  {Bianchi,  p.  22.) 

This  cartoon  was  the  first  fine  work  of  art  which  Michel  Agnolo 


Hi 


INTRODUCTION 


XI 

10  feci  una  manica.  {Bianchi\  p.  424.) 

I made  a funnel-shaped  furnace. 

I made  a sor^  of fe7ice.  {Roscoe^  p.  416.) 

XII 

Dare  nelle  spine.  {Bianchi^  p.  426.) 

Drive  in  the  plugs. 

Pour  out  the  hot  metal.  {Roscoe.,  p.  417.) 

XIII 

11  principe  e Don  Giovanni.  {^Bianchi.,  p.  450.) 

The  Prince  (or  Duke’s  eldest  son)  and  Don  Giovanni. 

The  princes.^  Don  Giovanni.,  &c.  {Roscoe.,  p.  437.) 

XIV 

E diceva  male  di  questo  popolo.  {Bianchi.,  p.  455.) 

And  he  spoke  abusively  of  that  people  of  Florence. 

And  all  the  ill  that  was  said  of  him  by  the  populace.  {Roscoe 
p.  441.) 

XV 

lo  ne  feci  un  poco  di  mal  giudizio,  ma  io  non  immaginavo  nulla  di 
quello  che  mi  avvenne.  {Bianchi.,  p.  481.) 

I drew  a somewhat  bad  conclusion  from  his  hint ; but  I did  not  in 
the  least  picture  to  myself  what  was  going  to  happen  to  me. 

I was  guilty  of  an  error  m judgment.,  but  was  not  at  all  mistaken 
in  what  happened  to  me.  {Roscoe.,  p.  467.) 

XVI 

A voi  e’  danno  tutte  le  stoviglie.  {Bianchi,  p.  483.) 

To  you  they  give  all  the  crockery. 

They  give  you  napkins.  {Roscoe,  p.  469.) 

XVII 

lo  sentendomi  ardere  il  sesso.  {Bianchi,  p.  483,) 

I,  feeling  my  seat  burn. 

I felt  my  brain  all  on  fire.  {Roscoe,  p.  469.) 


INTRODUCTION 


liii 


xvm 

Importava  la  maggior  gabella ; e che  egli  non  mancherebbe. 
{Biafichi,  p.  490.) 

It  (the  lease)  involved  the  highest  tax,  and  that  he  would  not  fail 
of  his  word. 

The  farm  would  produce  77iore^  and  could  not  possibly  fail.  {Roscoe, 
P-  475-) 

I have  selected  these  few  instances  at  random,  when  I 
might  have  culled  the  like  by  handfuls.  But  I may  further- 
more add  that  Roscoe  is  hardly  less  negligent  in  translating 
the  Italian  of  Cellini^s  commentators.  Thus  we  read  on  page 
265  this  version  of  a note  by  Carpani : “He  was  under  ap- 
prehension of  being  flayed  alive.”  Carpani  wrote  scannato^ 
which  means  having  his  throat  cut.^  It  remains  in  the  last 
place  to  be  remarked  that  Roscoe  is  not  excused  by  having 
followed  bad  readings  of  the  original  or  incomplete  autho- 
rities. His  translation  (dated,  in  its  second  edition,  January  i, 
1847)  appeared  after  the  labours  of  Carpani,  Tassi,  and  Molini, 
and  professes  on  the  title-page  to  be  “ collated  with  the  new 
text  of  Giuseppe  Molini.’^ 

I have  now  shown  reason  why  a new  translation  of  Cellini’s 
autobiography  in  our  language  is  not  a superfluity.  At  the 
same  time,  after  severely  criticising  my  predecessor,  I dis- 
claim the  pretension  that  my  own  version  will  be  found  im- 
peccable. There  are  many  passages  which  it  is  extremely 
hard  for  an  Italian  even,  versed  in  the  old  dialect  of  Tuscany, 
to  understand.^  This  is  due  in  a great  measure  to  Cellini’s 
colloquial  style,  and  to  the  involved  constructions  occasioned 
by  his  impetuous  flow  of  utterance  in  dictation,  but  also  to 
his  habitual  use  of  familiar  terms  regarding  life  and  art,  the 
exact  significance  of  which  can  now  be  hardly  reproduced. 
Furthermore,  I may  add  that  it  is  no  easy  matter  to  avoid 
slips  while  working  through  so  long  a narrative  in  prose, 
and  aiming  at  a certain  uniformity  of  diction. 

The  truth  is,  that  to  translate  Cellini’s  Memoirs  taxes  all 
the  resources  of  the  English  language.  It  is,  in  the  first  place, 
well-nigh  impossible  to  match  that  vast  vocabulary  of  vulgar 
phrases  and  technical  terminology.  Some  of  Cellini’s  most 

* Carpani,  vol.  i.  p.  423. 

^ See  Molini’s  preface  to  his  edition,  vol.  i.  p.  x. 


1 


INTRODUCTION 


displayed  in  proof  of  his  marvellous  talents,  and  he  made  it  in  com- 
petition with  another  draughtsman  Lionardo  da'Vinci). 

This  cartoon  was  the  first  in  which  Michel  Agnolo  displayed  his 
extraordinary  abilities  ; as  he  made  this  and  another^  which  were  to 
adorn  the  hall.  {Roscoe,  p.  21.)^ 

II 

Perche  vedevo  continuamente  i fat'd  del  divino  Michel  Agnolo  . . , 
e da  quella  mai  mi  sono  ispiccato.  {Bianchi^  p.  23.) 

Because  I had  perpetually  before  my  eyes  the  works  of  the  divine 
Michel  Agnolo  . . . and  from  it  I iiave  never  swerved. 

Because  / had  seen  the  works  of  the  divine  Michel  Agnolo  . . . 
and  never  once  lost  sight  oi  it.  {Roscoe,  p.  23.) 

III 

Cosl  ci  legammo  i grembiuli  indietro.  {Bianchi^  p.  25,) 

So  we  tied  our  aprons  behind  our  backs. 

So  we  buckled  on  our  knapsacks.  (Roscoe,  p.  25.) 

IV 

Mi  prego,  che  io  facessi  di  sorte  che  lui  1’  avessi  a’  sua  di. 
{Biafichi^  p.  loi.) 

He  begged  me  so  to  work  that  he  should  have  it  during  his  life- 
time. 

Requested  me  to  endeavour  to  please  him  by  my  execution, 

V 

Me  ne  andai  dalli  destri  del  mastio.  {Biafichi.,  p.  239.) 

I went  toward  the  latrines  of  the  fortress. 

I went  and  got  out  upon  the  right  side  of  the  tower.  {Roscoe., 
p.  248.) 

VI 

Perche  io  ho  considerato  che  in  quella  vostra  forma  e entrato  piu 
roba  che  ’1  suo  dovere.  {Bianchi,  p.  322.) 

For  I have  reflected  that  more  metal  entered  that  mould  of  yours 
than  it  could  properly  hold. 

For  I have  taken  into  consideration  that  there  has  been  a greater 
consumption  of  metal  upon  this  work  than  should  have  been.  {Roscoe^ 

p.  323-) 


" I quote  from  Bohn’s  edition,  London,  1850.  The  italics  are  mine. 


INTRODUCTION 


li 


VII 

Se  io  avessi  veduto  mettervi  nella  forma  P anima,  con  una  sola 
parola  io  v’  arei  insegnato  che  la  figura  sarebbe  venuta  benissimo. 
{Bianchi^  p.  323.) 

If  I had  seen  you  placing  your  block  inside  the  mould,  I could 
with  one  word  have  taught  you  how  the  figure  would  have  come  out 
to  perfection. 

If  I had  but  instructed  you  with  a single  word,  the  figure  would 
have  come  out  admirably.  {Boscoe,  p.  323.) 

VIII 

Mandate  a F Elba.  {Bianchi^  p.  421.) 

Sent  to  the  island  of  Elba. 

Sent  to  the  Elbe.  {Roscoe^  p.  413.) 

IX 

La  qual  cosa  non  credette  mai  nessuno  di  quest!  pratici  di  quella 
arte.  {Bianchl,  p.  421.) 

Which  none  of  the  masters  versed  in  that  art  believed  to  be 
possible. 

And  do  not  imagine  that  every  co7nmon  artist  could  have  done  as 
much.  {Roscoe.,^.'&,\'^i) 

X 

E’  bisognava  fare  molto  maggiore  la  fornace,  dove  io  arei  potuto 
fare  un  rame  di  gitto,  grosso  quanto  io  ho  la  gamba,  e con  quella 
gravezza  di  metallo  caldo  per  forza  ve  1’  arei  fatto  andare  ; dove  il 
mio  ramo  che  va  insino  a’  piedi  quella  sei  braccia  che  io  dico,  non  h 
grosso  piu  che  dua  dita.  Impero  e’  non  portava  d pregio.  (Bia^ichi, 
p.  423.) 

I must  have  made  the  furnace  much  larger,  in  which  case  I might 
have  constructed  a conduit  as  thick  as  my  leg,  and  so  by  the  weight 
of  the  molten  metal  I could  have  forced  it  down  ; whereas,  my  pipe, 
which  runs  the  six  cubits  I have  stated  to  the  statue’s  feet,  is  not 
thicker  than  two  inches.  However,  it  was  not  worth  the  trouble  and 
expense. 

I must  then  have  made  the  furnace  much  bigger,  to  be  able  to  cast 
a piece  of  brass  as  thick  as  my  leg.,  and  with  that  weight  of  hot  metal 
I should  have  made  it  come  out  by  force  ; whereas,  my  brass.,  which 
goes  down  to  the  feet  six  cubits,  as  I mentioned  before,  is  not  above 
two  inches  thick.  Therefore  it  was  not  worth  your  notice.  {Roscoe^ 
P-4>5-) 


liv 


INTRODUCTION 


vivid  illustrations  owe  their  pungency  and  special  colouring 
to  customs  which  have  long  passed  out  of  current  usage. 
Many  of  his  most  energetic  epigrams  depend  for  their  effect 
upon  a spontaneous  employment  of  contemporary  Florentine 
slang.  Not  a few  of  his  most  striking  descriptions  lose  their 
value  without  the  precise  equivalents  for  works  of  art  or 
handicraft  or  armoury  now  obsolete.  In  the  next  place,  his 
long-winded  and  ungrammatical  periods,  his  suspended  parti- 
ciples, his  vehemently  ill -conjugated  verbs,  his  garrulous 
anacolutha  and  passionate  aposiopeses,  his  ingenious  recourse 
to  repeated  pronouns  and  reiterated  adverbs  for  sustaining 
a tottering  sentence,  his  conversational  resumption  of  the 
same  connective  phrases,  his  breathless  and  fiery  incoher- 
ence following  short  incisive  clauses  of  a glittering  and 
trenchant  edge,  all  these  peculiarities,  dependent  on  the 
man’s  command  of  his  vernacular  and  his  untutored  talent 
for  expression,  offer  stumbling-blocks  at  every  turn  to  the 
translator  who  wishes  to  preserve  something  of  the  tone  of 
the  original  while  presenting  a continuous  discourse  to 
modern  readers.  The  almost  impossible  task  has  to  be 
attempted  of  reproducing  the  effect  of  heedless  animated 
talking. 

My  own  system  has  been  to  adopt  a compromise  between 
such  literal  rendering  as  might  have  made  the  English  ver- 
sion not  only  unpalatable,  but  almost  unintelligible,  and  such 
elaborate  recasting  of  the  original  as  would  have  preserved 
the  sense  at  a regrettable  sacrifice  of  character  and  vivacity. 

I may  here  notice  that  Cellini  appears,  at  the  commence- 
ment of  his  undertaking,  to  have  been  more  tentative,  more 
involved  in  diction,  than  he  afterwards  became  ; in  fact,  he 
only  gradually  formed  his  style.  Therefore  I have  suffered 
the  earlier  sections  of  my  version  to  retain  a certain  stiffness, ' 
which  relaxes  by  degrees  until  the  style  of  the  translator  is 
in  its  turn  fashioned. 


THE  LIFE  OF 


BENVENUTO 


CELLINI 


This  tale  of  my  sore-troubled  life  I write, 

To  THANK  the  GOD  OF  NATURE,  WHO  CONVEYED 
My  SOUL  TO  ME,  AND  WITH  SUCH  CARE  HATH  STAYED 

That  divers  noble  deeds  I’ve  brought  to  light. 
’TwAs  He  subdued  my  cruel  fortune’s  spite  : 

Life  glory  virtue  measureless  hath  made 

Such  grace  worth  beauty  be  through  me  displayed 

That  few  can  rival,  none  surpass  me  quitf.. 

Only  it  grieves  me  when  I understand 

What  precious  time  in  vanity  I’ve  spent— 

The  wind  it  beareth  man’s  frail  thoughts  away. 
Yet,  since  remorse  avails  not.  I’m  content. 

As  ERST  I came,  welcome  to  go  one  day, 

Here  in  the  Flower  of  this  fair  Tuscan  land. 


BOOK  FIRST 


I 

All  men  of  whatsoever  quality  they  be,  who  have  done  any- 
thing of  excellence,  or  which  may  properly  resemble  excellence, 
ought,  if  they  are  persons  of  truth  and  honesty,  to  describe 
their  life  with  their  own  hand  ; but  they  ought  not  to  attempt 
so  fine  an  enterprise  till  they  have  passed  the  age  of  forty. 
This  duty  occurs  to  my  own  mind,  now  that  I am  travelling 
beyond  the  term  of  fifty-eight  years,  and  am  in  Florence,  the 
city  of  my  birth.  Many  untoward  things  can  I remember, 
such  as  happen  to  all  who  live  upon  our  earth  ; and  from 
those  adversities  I am  now  more  free  than  at  any  previous 
period  of  my  career — nay,  it  seems  to  me  that  I enjoy  greater 
content  of  soul  and  health  of  bod^^  than  ever  I did  in  bygone 
years.  I can  also  bring  to  mind  some  pleasant  goods  and 
some  inestimable  evils,  which,  when  I turn  my  thoughts 
backward,  strike  terror  in  me,  and  astonishment  that  I should 
have  reached  this  age  of  fifty-eight,  wherein,  thanks  be  to  God, 
I am  still  travelling  prosperously  forward. 


n 

It  is  true  that  men  who  have  laboured  with  some  show  of 
excellence,  have  already  given  knowledge  of  themselves  to 
the  world  ; and  this  alone  ought  to  suffice  them  ; I mean  the 
fact  that  they  have  proved  their  manhood  and  achieved  renown. 
Yet  one  must  needs  live  like  others  ; and  so  in  a work  like  this 
there  will  always  be  found  occasion  for  natural  bragging, 
which  is  of  divers  kinds,  and  the  first  is  that  a man  should  let 

A 


2 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


others  know  he  draws  his  lineage  from  persons  of  worth  and 
most  ancient  origin. 

I am  called  Benvenuto  Cellini,  son  of  Maestro  Giovanni,  son 
of  Andrea,  son  of  Cristofano  Cellini ; my  mother  was  Madonna 
Elisabetta,  daughter  to  Stefano  Granacci;  both  parents  citizens 
of  Florence.  It  is  found  written  in  chronicles  made  by  our 
ancestors  of  Florence,  men  of  old  time  and  of  credibility,  even 
as  Giovanni  Villani  writes,  that  the  city  of  Florence  was  evi» 
dently  built  in  imitation  of  the  fair  city  of  Rome  ; and  certain 
remnants  of  the  Colosseum  and  the  Baths  can  yet  be  traced. 
These  things  are  near  Santa  Croce.  The  Capitol  was  where 
is  now  the  Old  Market.  The  Rotonda  is  entire,  which  was 
made  for  the  temple  of  Mars,  and  is  now  dedicated  to  our 
Saint  John.  That  thus  it  was,  can  very  well  be  seen,  and 
cannot  be  denied  , but  the  said  buildings  are  much  smaller 
than  those  of  Rome.  He  who  caused  them  to  be  built,  they 
say,  was  Julius  Caesar,  in  concert  with  some  noble  Romans, 
who,  when  Fiesole  had  been  stormed  and  taken,  raised  a city 
in  this  place,  and  each  of  them  took  in  hand  to  erect  one  of 
these  notable  edifices. 

Julius  Caesar  had  among  his  captains  a man  of  highest  rank 
and  valour,  who  was  called  Fiorino  of  Cellino,  which  is  a vil- 
lage about  two  miles  distant  from  Monte  Fiascone.  Now  this 
Fiorino  took  up  his  quarters  under  the  hill  of  Fiesole,  on  the 
ground  where  Florence  now  stands,  in  order  to  be  near  the 
river  Arno,  and  for  the  convenience  of  the  troops.  All  those 
soldiers  and  others  who  had  to  do  with  the  said  captain,  used 
then  to  say : “ Let  us  go  to  Fiorenze  ; as  well  because  the 
said  captain  was  called  Fiorino,  as  also  because  the  place  he 
had  chosen  for  his  quarters  was  by  nature  very  rich  in  flowers. 
Upon  the  foundation  of  the  city,  therefore,  since  this  name 
struck  Julius  Caesar  as  being  fair  and  apt,  and  given  by  cir- 
cumstance, and  seeing  furthermore  that  flowers  themselves 
bring  good  augury,  he  appointed  the  name  of  Florence  for 
the  town.  He  wished  besides  to  pay  his  valiant  captain  this 
compliment ; and  he  loved  him  all  the  more  for  having 
drawn  him  from  a very  humble  place,  and  for  the  reason 
that  so  excellent  a man  was  a creature  of  his  own.  The  name 
that  learned  inventors  and  investigators  of  such  etymologies 
adduce,  as  that  Florence  is  flowing  at  the  Arno,  cannot  hold  ; 
seeing  that  Rome  is  flowing  at  the  Tiber,  Ferrara  is  flowing 
at  the  Po,  Lyons  is  flowing  at  the  Saone,  Paris  is  flowing  at 


BOOK  FIRST 


3 

the  Seine,  and  yet  the  names  of  all  these  towns  are  different, 
and  have  come  to  them  by  other  ways.^ 

Thus  then  we  find  ; and  thus  we  believe  that  we  are  de- 
scended from  a man  of  worth.  Furthermore,  we  find  that 
there  are  Cellinis  of  our  stock  in  Ravenna,  that  most  ancient 
town  of  Italy,  where  too  are  plenty  of  gentle  folk.  In  Pisa 
also  there  are  some,  and  I have  discovered  them  in  many  parts 
of  Christendom  ; and  in  this  state  also  the  breed  exists,  men 
devoted  to  the  profession  of  arms  ; for  not  many  years  ago  a 
young  man,  called  Luca  Cellini,  a beardless  youth,  fought  with 
a soldier  of  experience  and  a most  valorous  man,  named  Fran- 
cesco da  Vicorati,  who  had  frequently  fought  before  in  single 
combat.  This  Luca,  by  his  own  valour,  with  sword  in  hand, 
overcame  and  slew  him,  with  such  bravery  and  stoutness  that 
he  moved  the  folk  to  wonder,  who  were  expecting  quite  the 
contrary  issue  ; so  that  I glory  in  tracing  my  descent  from  men 
of  valour. 

As  for  the  trifling  honours  which  I have  gained  for  my 
house,  under  the  well-known  conditions  of  our  present  ways 
of  living,  and  by  means  of  my  art,  albeit  the  same  are  matters 
of  no  great  moment,  I will  relate  these  in  their  proper  time 
and  place,  taking  much  more  pride  in  having  been  born 
humble  and  having  laid  some  honourable  foundation  for  my 
family,  than  if  I had  been  born  of  great  lineage  and  had 
stained  or  overclouded  that  by  my  base  qualities.  So  then  I 
will  make  a beginning  by  saying  how  it  pleased  God  I should 
be  born. 


Ill 

My  ancestors  dwelt  in  Val  d’  Ambra,  where  they  owned 
large  estates,  and  lived  like  little  lords,  in  retirement,  however, 
on  account  of  the  then  contending  factions.  They  were  all 
men  devoted  to  arms  and  of  notable  bravery.  In  that  time 
one  of  their  sons,  the  younger,  who  was  called  Cristofano, 
roused  a great  feud  with  certain  of  their  friends  and  neigh- 
bours. Now  the  heads  of  the  families  on  both  sides  took  part 

^ He  is  alluding  to  the  name  Fluenzia^  which  some  antiquaries  of  his  day 
thought  to  have  been  the  earliest  name  of  the  city,  derived  from  its  being  near 
Arno  fiiiente.  I have  translated  the  word  Jiicente  in  the  text  literally,  though 
of  course  it  signifies  “ situated  on  a flowing  river.”  I need  not  call  attention 
to  the  apocryphal  nature  of  Cellini’s  own  derivation  from  the  name  of  his 
supposed  ancestor. 


4 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


in  it,  and  the  fire  kindled  seemed  to  them  so  threatening  that 
their  houses  were  like  to  perish  utterly  ; the  elders  upon  this 
consideration,  in  concert  with  my  own  ancestors,  removed 
Cristofano  ; and  the  other  youth  with  whom  the  quarrel  began 
was  also  sent  away.  They  sent  their  young  man  to  Siena. 
Our  folk  sent  Cristofano  to  Florence  ; and  there  they  bought 
for  him  a little  house  in  Via  Chiara,  close  to  the  convent  of 
S.  Orsola,  and  they  also  purchased  for  him  some  very  good 
property  near  the  Ponte  a Rifredi.  The  said  Cristofano  took 
wife  in  Florence,  and  had  sons  and  daughters  ; and  when 
all  the  daughters  had  been  portioned  off,  the  sons,  after  th-eir 
father’s  death,  divided  what  remained.  The  house  in  Via 
Chiara  with  some  other  trifles  fell  to  the  share  of  one  of  the 
said  sons,  who  had  the  name  of  Andrea.  He  also  took  wife, 
and  had  four  male  children.  The  first  was  called  Girolamo, 
the  second  Bartolommeo,  the  third  Giovanni,  who  was  after- 
wards my  father,  and  the  fourth  Francesco.  This  Andrea 
Cellini  was  very  well  versed  in  architecture,  as  it  was  then 
practised,  and  lived  by  it  as  his  trade.  Giovanni,  who  was 
my  father,  paid  more  attention  to  it  than  any  of  the  other 
brothers.  And  since  Vitruvius  says,  amongst  other  things, 
that  one  who  wishes  to  practise  that  art  well  must  have 
something  of  music  and  good  drawing,  Giovanni,  when  he 
had  mastered  dravv^ing,  began  to  turn  his  mind  to  music,  and 
together  with  the  theory  learned  to  play  most  excellently  on 
the  viol  and  the  flute  ; and  being  a person  of  studious  habits, 
he  left  his  home  but  seldom. 

They  had  for  neighbour  in  the  next  house  a man  called 
Stefano  Granacci,  who  had  several  daughters,  all  of  them  of 
remarkable  beauty.  As  it  pleased  God,  Giovanni  noticed  one 
of  these  girls  who  was  named  Elisabetta  ; and  she  found  such 
favour  with  him  that  he  asked  her  in  marriage.  The  fathers 
of  both  of  them  being  well  acquainted  through  their  close 
neighbourhood,  it  was  easy  to  make  this  match  up  ; and  each 
thought  that  he  had  very  well  arranged  his  affairs.  First  of 
all  the  two  good  old  men  agreed  upon  the  marriage  ; then 
they  began  to  discuss  the  dowry,  which  led  to  a certain  amount 
of  friendly  difference  ; for  Andrea  said  to  Stefano  : “ My  son 
Giovanni  is  the  stoutest  youth  of  Florence,  and  of  all  Italy  to 
boot,  and  if  I had  wanted  earlier  to  have  him  married,  I could 
have  procured  one  of  the  largest  dowries  which  folk  of  our 
rank  get  in  Florence  : ” whereupon  Stefano  answered  : “You 


BOOK  FIRST 


5 


have  a thousand  reasons  on  your  side  ; but  here  am  I with  five 
daughters  and  as  many  sons,  and  when  my  reckoning  is  made, 
this  is  as  much  as  I can  possibly  afford/'  Giovanni,  who  had 
been  listening  awhile  unseen  by  them,  suddenly  broke  in  and 
said  : “ O my  father,  I have  sought  and  loved  that  girl  and  not 
their  money.  Ill  luck  to  those  who  seek  to  fill  their  pockets 
by  the  dowry  of  their  wife  ! As  you  have  boasted  that  I am  a 
fellow  of  such  parts,  do  you  not  think  that  I shall  be  able  to 
provide  for  my  wife  and  satisfy  her  needs,  even  if  I receive 
something  short  of  the  portion  you  would  like  to  get  ? Now 
I must  make  you  understand  that  the  woman  is  mine,  and  you 
may  take  the  dowry  for  yourself."  At  this  Andrea  Cellini, 
who  was  a man  of  rather  awkward  temper,  grew  a trifle  angry ; 
but  after  a few  days  Giovanni  took  his  wife,  and  never  asked 
for  other  portion  with  her. 

They  enjoyed  their  youth  and  wedded  love  through  eighteen 
years,  always  greatly  desiring  to  be  blessed  with  children.  At 
the  end  of  this  time  Giovanni's  wife  miscarried  of  two  boys 
through  the  unskilfulness  of  the  doctors.  Later  on  she  was 
again  with  child,  and  gave  birth  to  a girl,  whom  they  called 
Cosa,  after  the  mother  of  my  father.^  At  the  end  of  two  years 
she  was  once  more  with  child  ; and  inasmuch  as  those  long- 
ings to  which  pregnant  women  are  subject,  and  to  which  they 
pay  much  attention,  were  now  exactly  the  same  as  those  of 
her  former  pregnancy,  they  made  their  minds  up  that  she 
would  give  birth  to  a female  as  before,  and  agreed  to  call  the 
child  Reparata,  after  the  mother  of  my  mother.  It  happened 
that  she  was  delivered  on  a night  of  All  Saints,  following  the 
feast-day,  at  half-past  four  precisely,  in  the  year  1500.2  The 
midwife,  who  knew  that  they  were  expecting  a girl,  after  she 
had  washed  the  baby  and  wrapped  it  in  the  fairest  white  linen, 
came  softly  to  my  father  Giovanni  and  said  : “I  am  bringing 
you,  a fine  present,  such  as  you  did  not  anticipate."  My  father, 
who  was  a true  philosopher,  was  walking  up  and  down,  and 
answered  : “ What  God  gives  me  is  always  dear  to  me  ; " and 
when  he  opened  the  swaddling  clothes,  he  saw  with  his  own 
eyes  the  unexpected  male  child.  Joining  together  the  palms 
of  his  old  hands,  he  raised  them  with  his  eyes  to  God,  and 

^ Cosa  is  Florentine  for  Niccolosa. 

2 The  hour  is  reckoned,  according  to  the  old  Italian  fashion,  from  sunset  of 
one  day  to  sunset  of  the  next — twenty-four  hours. 


6 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


said  : “ Lord,  I thank  Thee  with  my  whole  heart  ; this  gift  is 
very  dear  to  me  ; let  him  be  Welcome.”  All  the  persons  who 
were  there  asked  him  joyfully  what  name  the  child  should 
bear.  Giovanni  would  make  no  other  answer  than  “ Let  him 
be  Welcome — Benvenuto  ; ” ^ and  so  they  resolved,  and  this 
name  was  given  me  at  Holy  Baptism,  and  by  it  I still  am 
living  with  the  grace  of  God. 


IV 

Andrea  Cellini  was  yet  alive  when  I was  about  three  years 
old,  and  he  had  passed  his  hundredth.  One  day  they  had 
been  altering  a certain  conduit  pertaining  to  a cistern,  and 
there  issued  from  it  a great  scorpion  unperceived  by  them, 
which  crept  down  from  the  cistern  to  the  ground,  and  slank 
away  beneath  a bench.  I saw  it,  and  ran  up  to  it,  and  laid  my 
hands  upon  it.  It  was  so  big  that  when  I had  it  in  my  little 
hands,  it  put  out  its  tail  on  one  side,  and  on  the  other  thrust 
forth  both  its  mouths.^  They  relate  that  I ran  in  high  joy  to 
my  grandfather,  crying  out : “ Look,  grandpapa,  at  my  pretty 
little  crab.”  When  he  recognised  that  the  creature  was  a 
scorpion,  he  was  on  the  point  of  falling  dead  for  the  great  fear 
he  had  and  anxiety  about  me.  He  coaxed  and  entreated  me 
to  give  it  him  ; but  the  more  he  begged,  the  tighter  I clasped 
it,  crying  and  saying  I would  not  give  it  to  any  one.  My 
father,  who  was  also  in  the  house,  ran  up  when  he  heard 
my  screams,  and  in  his  stupefaction  could  not  think  how  to 
prevent  the  venomous  animal  from  killing  me.  Just  then  his 
eyes  chanced  to  fall  upon  a pair  of  scissors  ; and  so,  while 
soothing  and  caressing  me,  he  cut  its  tail  and  mouths  off. 
Afterwards,  when  the  great  peril  had  been  thus  averted,  he 
took  the  occurrence  for  a good  augury. 

When  I was  about  five  years  old  my  father  happened  to  be 
in  a basement-chamber  of  our  house,  where  they  had  been 
washing,  and  where  a good  fire  of  oak-logs  was  still  burning  ; 
he  had  a viol  in  his  hand,  and  was  playing  and  singing  alone 
beside  the  fire.  The  weather  was  very  cold.  Happening  to 
look  into  the  fire,  he  spied  in  the  middle  of  those  most  burning 
flames  a little  creature  like  a lizard,  which  was  sporting  in  the 

^ Benvenuto  means  Welcome. 

^ The  word  is  bocche,  so  I have  translated  it  by  mouths.  But  Cellini  clearly 
meant  the  gaping  claws  of  the  scorpion 


BOOK  FIRST 


7 


core  of  the  intensest  coals.  Becoming  instantly  aware  of  what 
the  thing  was,  he  had  my  sister  and  me  called,  and  pointing  it 
out  to  us  children,  gave  me  a great  box  on  the  ears,  which 
caused  me  to  howl  and  weep  with  all  my  might.  Then  he 
pacified  me  good-humouredly,  and  spoke  as  follows  : “ My  dear 
little  boy,  I am  not  striking  you  for  any  wrong  that  you  have 
done,  but  only  to  make  you  remember  that  that  lizard  which 
you  see  in  the  fire  is  a salamander,  a creature  which  has  never 
been  seen  before  by  any  one  of  whom  we  have  credible  in- 
formation.” So  saying,  he  kissed  me  and  gave  me  some  pieces 
of  money. 

V 

My  father  began  teaching  me  to  play  upon  the  flute  and 
sing  by  note  ; but  notwithstanding  I was  of  that  tender  age 
when  little  children  are  wont  to  take  pastime  in  whistles  and 
such  toys,  I had  an  inexpressible  dislike  for  it,  and  played  and 
sang  only  to  obey  him.  My  father  in  those  times  fashioned 
wonderful  organs  with  pipes  of  wood,  spinets  the  fairest  and 
most  excellent  which  then  could  be  seen,  viols  and  lutes 
and  harps  of  the  most  beautiful  and  perfect  construction. 
He  was  an  engineer,  and  had  marvellous  skill  in  making  in- 
struments for  lowering  bridges  and  for  working  mills,  and 
other  machines  of  that  sort.  In  ivory  he  was  the  first  who 
wrought  really  well.  But  after  he  had  fallen  in  love  with  the 
woman  who  was  destined  to  become  my  mother  — perhaps 
what  brought  them  together  was  that  little  flute,  to  which 
indeed  he  paid  more  attention  than  was  proper — he  was  en- 
treated by  the  fifers  of  the  Signory  to  play  in  their  company. 
Accordingly  he  did  so  for  some  time  to  amuse  himself,  until  by 
constant  importunity  they  induced  him  to  become  a member 
of  their  band.  Lorenzo  de’  Medici  and  Piero  his  son,  who  had 
a great  liking  for  him,  perceived  later  on  that  he  was  devot- 
ing himself  wholly  to  the  fife,  and  was  neglecting  his  fine 
engineering  talent  and  his  beautiful  art.^  So  they  had  him 
removed  from  that  post.  My  father  took  this  very  ill,  and  it 
seemed  to  him  that  they  had  done  him  a great  despite.  Yet 
he  immediately  resumed  his  art,  and  fashioned  a mirror,  about 
a cubit  in  diameter,  out  of  bone  and  ivory,  with  figures  and 

^ The  Medici  here  mentioned  were  Lorenzo  the  Magnificent,  and  his  son 
Pietro,  who  was  expelled  from  Florence  in  the  year  1494.  He  never  returned, 
but  died  in  the  river  Garigliano  in  1504. 


8 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


foliage  of  great  finish  and  grand  design.  The  mirror  was  in 
the  form  of  a wheel.  In  the  middle  was  the  looldng-glass  ; 
around  it  were  seven  circular  pieces,  on  which  were  the  Seven 
Virtues,  carved  and  joined  of  ivory  and  black  bone.  The 
whole  mirror,  together  with  the  Virtues,  was  placed  in  equili- 
brium, so  that  when  the  wheel  turned,  all  the  Virtues  moved, 
and  they  had  weights  at  their  feet  which  kept  them  upright. 
Possessing  some  acquaintance  with  the  Latin  tongue,  he  put 
a legend  in  Latin  round  his  looking-glass,  to  this  effect — 
“Whithersoever  the  wheel  of  Fortune  turns.  Virtue  stands  firm 
upon  her  feet : ’’ 

Rota  sum  : semper,  quoqiio  me  verto,  stat  Virtus. 

A little  while  after  this  he  obtained  his  place  again  among  the 
fifers.  Although  some  of  these  things  happened  before  I was 
born,  my  familiarity  with  them  has  moved  me  to  set  them  down 
here.  In  those  days  the  musicians  of  the  Signory  were  all  of 
them  members  of  the  most  honourable  trades,  and  some  of 
them  belonged  to  the  greater  guilds  of  silk  and  wool ; ^ and  that 
was  the  reason  why  my  father  did  not  disdain  to  follow  this 
profession,  and  his  chief  desire  with  regard  to  me  was  always 
that  I should  become  a great  performer  on  the  flute.  I for  my 
part  felt  never  more  discontented  than  when  he  chose  to  talk 
to  me  about  this  scheme,  and  to  tell  me  that,  if  I liked,  he 
discerned  in  me  such  aptitudes  that  I might  become  the  best 
man  in  the  world. 

VI 

As  I have  said,  my  father  was  the  devoted  servant  and  attached 
friend  of  the  house  of  Medici ; and  when  Piero  was  banished, 
he  entrusted  him  with  many  affairs  of  the  greatest  possible 
importance.  Afterwards,  when  the  magnificent  Piero  Soderini 
was  elected,  and  my  father  continued  in  his  office  of  musician, 
Soderini,  perceiving  his  wonderful  talent,  began  to  employ  him 
in  many  matters  of  great  importance  as  an  engineer.^  So  long 

^ In  the  Middle  Ages  the  burghers  of  Florence  were  divided  into  industrial 
guilds  called  the  Greater  and  the  Lesser  Arts.  The  former  took  precedence 
of  the  latter,  both  in  political  importance  and  in  social  esteem. 

^ Piero  Soderini  was  elected  Gonfalonier  of  the  Florentine  Republic  for  life 
in  the  year  1 502.  After  nine  years  of  government,  he  was  banished,  and  when 
he  died,  Machiavelli  wrote  the  famous  sneering  epitaph  upon  him.  See 
Renaissance  in  Italy,  vol.  i.  p.  297, 


BOOK  FIRST 


9 


as  Soderini  remained  in  Florence,  he  showed  the  utmost 
good-will  to  my  father  ; and  in  those  days,  I being  still  of 
tender  age,  my  father  had  me  carried,  and  made  me  perform 
upon  the  flute ; I used  to  play  treble  in  concert  with  the  musi- 
cians of  the  palace  before  the  Signory,  following  my  notes  : 
and  a beadle  used  to  carry  me  upon  his  shoulders.  The  Gon- 
falonier, that  is,  Soderini,  whom  I have  already  mentioned, 
took  much  pleasure  in  making  me  chatter,  and  gave  me  comfits, 
and  was  wont  to  say  to  my  father : “ Maestro  Giovanni, 
beside  music,  teach  the  boy  those  other  arts  which  do  you  so 
much  honour.’^  To  which  my  father  answered  : “I  do  not 
wish  him  to  practise  any  art  but  playing  and  composing  ; for 
in  this  profession  I hope  to  make  him  the  greatest  man  of  the 
world,  if  God  prolongs  his  life.”  To  these  words  one  of  the 
old  counsellors  made  answer : “ Ah  ! Maestro  Giovanni,  do 
what  the  Gonfalonier  tells  you  ! for  why  should  he  never 
become  anything  more  than  a good  musician  ? ” 

Thus  some  time  passed,  until  the  Medici  returned.^  When 
they  arrived,  the  Cardinal,  who  afterwards  became  Pope  Leo, 
received  my  father  very  kindly.  During  their  exile  the  scutch- 
eons which  were  on  the  palace  of  the  Medici  had  had  their  balls 
erased,  and  a great  red  cross  painted  over  them,  which  was  the 
bearing  of  the  Commune.^  Accordingly,  as  soon  as  they  re- 
turned, the  red  cross  was  scratched  out,  and  on  the  scutcheon 
the  red  balls  and  the  golden  field  were  painted  in  again,  and 
finished  with  great  beauty.  My  father,  who  possessed  a simple 
vein  of  poetry,  instilled  in  him  by  nature,  together  with  a 
certain  touch  of  prophecy,  which  was  doubtless  a divine  gift 
in  him,  wrote  these  four  verses  under  the  said  arms  of  the 
Medici,  when  they  were  uncovered  to  the  view  : — 

These  arms,  which  have  so  long  from  sight  been  laid 
Beneath  the  holy  cross,  that  symbol  meek. 

Now  lift  their  glorious  glad  face,  and  seek 
With  Peter’s  sacred  cloak  to  be  arrayed. 

This  epigram  was  read  by  all  Florence.  A few  days  after- 
wards Pope  Julius  II.  died.  The  Cardinal  de’  Medici  went  to 

^ This  was  in  1512,  when  Lorenzo’s  two  sons,  Giuliano  and  Giovanni  (after- 
wards Pope  Leo  X.),  came  back  through  the  aid  of  a Spanish  army,  after  the 
great  battle  at  Ravenna. 

^ The  Medicean  arms  were  “ or,  six  pellets  gules,  three,  two,  and  one.” 
The  Florentine  Commune  bore,  “ argent  a cross  gules.” 


lo  LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 

Rome,  and  was  elected  Pope  against  the  expectation  of  every- 
body.  He  reigned  as  Leo  X.,  that  generous  and  great  soul. 
My  father  sent  him  his  four  prophetic  verses.  The  Pope  sent 
to  tell  him  to  come  to  Rome  ; for  this  would  be  to  his  ad- 
vantage. But  he  had  no  will  to  go  ; and  so,  in  lieu  of  reward, 
his  place  in  the  palace  was  taken  from  him  by  Jacopo  Salviati, 
upon  that  man’s  election  as  Gonfalonier.^  This  was  the  reason 
why  I commenced  goldsmith  ; after  which  I spent  part  of  my 
time  in  learning  that  art,  and  part  in  playing,  much  against 
my  will. 


VII 

When  my  father  spoke  to  me  in  the  way  I have  above  de- 
scribed, I entreated  him  to  let  me  draw  a certain  fixed  number 
of  hours  in  the  day ; all  the  rest  of  my  time  I would  give  to 
music,  only  with  the  view  of  satisfying  his  desire.  Upon  this 
he  said  to  me  : “ So  then,  you  take  no  pleasure  in  playing  ? ” 
To  which  I answered,  “ No  ; ” because  that  art  seemed  too  base 
in  comparison  with  what  I had  in  my  own  mind.  My  good 
father,  driven  to  despair  by  this  fixed  idea  of  mine,  placed  me 
in  the  workshop  of  Cavaliere  Bandinello’s  father,  who  was 
called  Michel  Agnolo,  a goldsmith  from  Pinzi  di  Monte,  and  a 
master  excellent  in  that  craft.^  He  had  no  distinction  of  birth 
whatever,  but  was  the  son  of  a charcoal-seller.  This  is  no 
blame  to  Bandinello,  who  has  founded  the  honour  of  the 
family — if  only  he  had  done  so  honestly  ! However  that  may 
be,  I have  no  cause  now  to  talk  about  him.  After  I had  stayed 
there  some  days,  my  father  took  me  away  from  Michel  Agnolo, 
finding  himself  unable  to  live  without  having  me  always  under 
his  eyes.  Accordingly,  much  to  my  discontent,  I remained  at 
music  till  I reached  the  age  of  fifteen.  If  I were  to  describe 
all  the  wonderful  things  that  happened  to  me  up  to  that  time, 
and  all  the  great  dangers  to  my  own  life  which  I ran,  I should 

^ Cellini  makes  a mistake  here.  Salviati  married  a daughter  of  Lorenzo  de’ 
Medici,  and  obtained  great  influence  in  Florence  ; but  we  have  no  record  of 
his  appointment  to  the  office  of  Gonfalonier. 

2 Baccio  Bandinello,  the  sculptor,  and  a great  rival  ot  Cellini’s,  as  will 
appear  in  the  ensuing  pages,  was  born  in  1487,  and  received  the  honour  of 
knighthood  from  Clement  VII.  and  Charles  V.  Posterity  has  confirmed 
Cellini’s  opinion  of  Bandinello  as  an  artist;  for  his  works  are  coarse,  pre- 
tentious, and  incapable  of  giving  pleasure  to  any  person  of  refined  intelligence. 


BOOK  FIRST 


II 


astound  my  readers  ; but,  in  order  to  avoid  prolixity,  and 
having  very  much  to  relate,  I will  omit  these  incidents. 

When  I reached  the  age  of  fifteen,  I put  myself,  against  my 
father’s  will,  to  the  goldsmith’s  trade  with  a man  called  An- 
tonio, son  of  Sandro,  known  commonly  as  Marcone  the  gold- 
smith. He  was  a most  excellent  craftsman  and  a very  good 
fellow  to  boot,  high-spirited  and  frank  in  all  his  ways.  My 
father  would  not  let  him  give  me  wages  like  the  other  appren- 
tices ; for  having  taken  up  the  study  of  this  art  to  please  my- 
self, he  wished  me  to  indulge  my  whim  for  drawing  to  the  full. 
I did  so  willingly  enough  ; and  that  honest  master  of  mine 
took  marvellous  delight  in  my  performances.  He  had  an  only 
son,  a bastard,  to  whom  he  often  gave  his  orders,  in  order  to 
spare  me.  My  liking  for  the  art  was  so  great,  or,  I may  truly 
say,  my  natural  bias,  both  one  and  the  other,  that  in  a few 
months  I caught  up  the  good,  nay,  the  best  young  craftsmen 
in  our  business,  and  began  to  reap  the  fruits  of  my  labours.  I 
did  not,  however,  neglect  to  gratify  my  good  father  from  time 
to  time  by  playing  on  the  flute  or  cornet.  Each  time  he  heard 
me,  I used  to  make  his  tears  fall  accompanied  with  deep- 
drawn  sighs  of  satisfaction.  My  filial  piety  often  made  me 
give  him  that  contentment,  and  induced  me  to  pretend  that  I 
enjoyed  the  music  too. 


VHI 

At  that  time  I had  a brother,  younger  by  two  years,  a youth 
of  extreme  boldness  and  fierce  temper.  He  afterwards  be- 
came one  of  the  great  soldiers  in  the  school  of  that  marvellous 
general  Giovannino  de’  Medici,  father  of  Duke  Cosimo.^  The 
boy  was  about  fourteen,  and  I two  years  older.  One  Sunday 
evening,  just  before  nightfall,  he  happened  to  find  himself 
between  the  gate  San  Gallo  and  the  Porta  a Pint! ; in  this 
quarter  he  came  to  duel  with  a young  fellow  of  twenty  or 
thereabouts.  They  both  had  swords ; and  my  brother  dealt 
so  valiantly  that,  after  having  badly  wounded  him,  he  was  upon 
the  point  of  following  up  his  advantage.  There  was  a great 
crowd  of  people  present,  among  whom  were  many  of  the 

^ Cellini  refers  to  the  famous  Giovanni  delle  Bande  Nere,  who  was  killed  in 
an  engagement  in  Lombardy  in  November  1526  by  the  Imperialist  troops 
marching  to  the  sack  of  Rome.  His  son  Cosimo,  after  the  murder  of  Duka 
Alessandro,  established  the  second  Medicean  dynasty  in  Florence. 


12 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


adversary’s  kinsfolk.  Seeing  that  the  thing  was  going  ill  for 
their  own  man,  they  put  hand  to  their  slings,  a stone  from  one 
of  which  hit  my  poor  brother  in  the  head.  He  fell  to  the 
ground  at  once  in  a dead  faint.  It  so  chanced  that  I had  been 
upon  the  spot  alone,  and  without  arms  ; and  I had  done  my 
best  to  get  my  brother  out  of  the  fray  by  calling  to  him  : 

“ Make  off  ; you  have  done  enough.”  Meanwhile,  as  luck 
would  have  it,  he  fell,  as  I have  said,  half  dead  to  earth.  I 
ran  up  at  once,  seized  his  sword,  and  stood  in  front  of  him, 
bearing  the  brunt  of  several  rapiers  and  a shower  of  stones. 

I never  left  his  side  until  some  brave  soldiers  came  from  the 
gate  San  Gallo  and  rescued  me  from  the  raging  crowd  ; they 
marvelled  much,  the  while,  to  find  such  valour  in  so  young 
a boy. 

Then  I carried  my  brother  home  for  dead,  and  it  was  only 
with  great  difficulty  that  he  came  to  himself  again.  When  he 
was  cured,  the  Eight,  who  had  already  condemned  our  ad- 
versaries and  banished  them  for  a term  of  years,  sent  us  also 
into  exile  for  six  months  at  a distance  of  ten  miles  from 
Florence.^  I said  to  my  brother  : “ Come  along  with  me  ; ” 
and  so  we  took  leave  of  our  poor  father  ; and  instead  of  giving 
us  money,  for  he  had  none,  he  bestowed  on  us  his  blessing.  I 
went  to  Siena,  wishing  to  look  up  a certain  worthy  man  called 
Maestro  Francesco  Castoro.  On  another  occasion,  when  I 
had  run  away  from  my  father,  I went  to  this  good  man,  and 
stayed  some  time  with  him,  working  at  the  goldsmith’s  trade 
until  my  father  sent  for  me  back.  Francesco,  when  I reached 
him,  recognised  me  at  once,  and  gave  me  work  to  do.  While 
thus  occupied,  he  placed  a house  at  my  disposal  for  the  whole 
time  of  my  sojourn  in  Siena.  Into  this  I moved,  together  with 
my  brother,  and  applied  myself  to  labour  for  the  space  of 
several  months.  My  brother  had  acquired  the  rudiments  of 
Latin,  but  was  still  so  young  that  he  could  not  yet  relish 
the  taste  of  virtuous  employment,  but  passed  his  time  in  | 
dissipation.  j 


The  Cardinal  de’  Medici,  who  afterwards  became  Pope 
Clement  VI L,  had  us  recalled  to  Florence  at  the  entreaty  of 

^ The  Eight,  or  Gli  Otto,  were  a magistracy  in  Florence  with  cognisance 
of  matters  affecting  the  internal  peace  of  the  city. 


BOOK  FIRST 


13 


my  father.!  A certain  pupil  of  my  father’s,  moved  by  his  own 
bad  nature,  suggested  to  the  Cardinal  that  he  ought  to  send 
me  to  Bologna,  in  order  to  learn  to  play  well  from  a great 
master  there.  The  name  of  this  master  was  Antonio,  and  he 
was  in  truth  a worthy  man  in  the  musician’s  art.  The  Car- 
dinal said  to  my  father  that,  if  he  sent  me  there,  he  would  give 
me  letters  of  recommendation  and  support.  My  father,  dying 
with  joy  at  such  an  opportunity,  sent  me  off ; and  I being 
eager  to  see  the  world,  went  with  good  grace. 

When  I reached  Bologna,  I put  myself  under  a certain 
Maestro  Ercole  del  Piffero,  and  began  to  earn  something  by 
my  trade.  In  the  meantime  I used  to  go  every  day  to  take  my 
music-lesson,  and  in  a few  weeks  made  considerable  progress 
in  that  accursed  art.  However,  I made  still  greater  in  my 
trade  of  goldsmith  ; for  the  Cardinal  having  given  me  no 
assistance,  I went  to  live  with  a Bolognese  illuminator  who  was 
called  Scipione  Cavalletti  (his  house  was  in  the  street  of  our 
Lady  del  Baraccan)  ; and  while  there  I devoted  myself  to 
drawing  and  working  for  one  Graziadio,  a Jew,  with  whom  I 
earned  considerably. 

At  the  end  of  six  months  I returned  to  Florence,  where  that 
fellow  Pierino,  who  had  been  my  father’s  pupil,  was  greatly 
mortified  by  my  return.  To  please  my  father,  I went  to  his 
house  and  played  the  cornet  and  the  flute  with  one  of  his 
brothers,  who  was  named  Girolamo,  several  years  younger  than 
the  said  Piero,  a very  worthy  young  man,  and  quite  the 
contrary  of  his  brother.  On  one  of  those  days  my  father  came 
to  Piero’s  house  to  hear  us  play,  and  in  ecstasy  at  my  per- 
formance exclaimed : “ I shall  yet  make  you  a marvellous 
musician  against  the  will  of  all  or  any  one  who  may  desire  to 
prevent  me.”  To  this  Piero  answered,  and  spoke  the  truth  : 
“Your  Benvenuto  will  get  much  more  honour  and  profit  if  he 
devotes  himself  to  the  goldsmith’s  trade  than  to  this  piping.” 
These  words  made  my  father  so  angry,  seeing  that  I too  had 
the  same  opinion  as  Piero,  that  he  fiew  into  a rage  and 
cried  out  at  him  : “ Well  did  I know  that  it  was  you,  you  who 


! This  Cardinal  and  Pope  was  Giulio,  a natural  son  of  Giuliano,  Lorenzo 
de’  Medici’s  brother,  who  had  been  killed  in  the  Pazzi  conspiracy,  year  1478. 
Giulio  lived  to  become  Pope  Clement  VI L,  to  suffer  the  sack  of  Rome  in  1527, 
and  to  make  the  concordat  with  Charles  V.  at  Bologna  in  1529-30,  which 
settled  for  three  centuries  the  destiny  of  Italy.  We  shall  hear  much  more  of 
him  from  Cellini  in  the  course  of  this  narrative. 


14 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


put  obstacles  in  the  way  of  my  cherished  wish  ; you  are  the 
man  who  had  me  ousted  from  my  place  at  the  palace,  paying 
me  back  with  that  black  ingratitude  which  is  the  usual  re- 
compense of  great  benefits.  I got  you  promoted,  and  you  have 
got  me  cashiered  ; I taught  you  to  play  with  all  the  little  art 
you  have,  and  you  are  preventing  my  son  from  obeying  me  ; 
but  bear  in  mind  these  words  of  prophecy  : not  years  or  months, 
I say,  but  only  a few  weeks  will  pass  before  this  dirty  ingrati- 
tude of  yours  shall  plunge  you  into  ruin.”  To  these  words 
answered  Pierino  and  said  : “ Maestro  Giovanni,  the  majority  of 
men,  when  they  grow  old,  go  mad  at  the  same  time  ; and  this 
has  happened  to  you.  I am  not  astonished  at  it,  because  most 
liberally  have  you  squandered  all  your  property,  without  re- 
flecting that  your  children  had  need  of  it.  I mind  to  do  just 
the  opposite,  and  to  leave  my  children  so  much  that  they  shall 
be  able  to  succour  yours.”  To  this  my  father  answered  : “ No 
bad  tree  ever  bore  good  fruit  ; quite  the  contrary  ; and  I tell 
you  further  that  you  are  bad,  and  that  your  children  will  be 
mad  and  paupers,  and  will  cringe  for  alms  to  my  virtuous  and 
wealthy  sons.”  Thereupon  we  left  the  house,  muttering  words 
of  anger  on  both  sides.  I had  taken  my  father’s  part  ; and 
when  we  stepped  into  the  street  together,  I told  him  I was 
quite  ready  to  take  vengeance  for  the  insults  heaped  on  him  by 
that  scoundrel,  provided  you  permit  me  to  give  myself  up  to 
the  art  of  design.  He  answered  : “ My  dear  son,  I too  in  my 
time  was  a good  draughtsman  ; but  for  recreation,  after  such 
stupendous  labours,  and  for  the  love  of  me  who  am  your 
father,  who  begat  you  and  brought  you  up  and  implanted 
so  many  honourable  talents  in  you,  for  the  sake  of  recrea- 
tion, I say,  will  not  you  promise  sometimes  to  take  in  hand 
your  flute  and  that  seductive  cornet,  and  to  play  upon  them 
to  your  heart’s  content,  inviting  the  delight  of  music?”  I 
promised  I would  do  so,  and  very  willingly  for  his  love’s  sake. 
Then  my  good  father  said  that  such  excellent  parts  as  I pos- 
sessed would  be  the  greatest  vengeance  I could  take  for 
the  insults  of  his  enemies. 

Not  a whole  month  had  been  completed  after  this  scene  be- 
fore the  man  Pierino  happened  to  be  building  a vault  in  a house 
of  his,  which  he  had  in  the  Via  dello  Studio  ; and  being  one 
day  in  a ground-floor  room  above  the  vault  which  he  was 
making,  together  with  much  company  around  him,  he  fell  to 
talking  about  his  old  master,  my  father.  While  repeating  the 


BOOK  FIRST 


15 


words  which  he  had  said  to  him  concerning  his  ruin,  no  sooner 
had  they  escaped  his  lips  than  the  floor  where  he  was  stand- 
ing (either  because  the  vault  had  been  badly  built,  or  rather 
through  the  sheer  mightiness  of  God,  who  does  not  always  pay 
on  Saturday)  suddenly  gave  way.  Some  of  the  stones  and 
bricks  of  the  vault,  which  fell  with  him,  broke  both  his  legs. 
The  friends  who  were  with  him,  remaining  on  the  border  of 
the  broken  vault,  took  no  harm,  but  were  astounded  and  full  of 
wonder,  especially  because  of  the  prophecy  which  he  had  just 
contemptuously  repeated  to  them.  When  my  father  heard  of 
this,  he  took  his  sword,  and  went  to  see  the  man.  There,  in 
the  presence  of  his  father,  who  was  called  Niccolaio  da 
Volterra,  a trumpeter  of  the  Signory,  he  said  : “ O Piero,  my 
dear  pupil,  I am  sorely  grieved  at  your  mischance  ; but  if  you 
remember  it  was  only  a short  time  ago  that  I warned  you  of  it ; 
and  as  much  as  I then  said  will  come  to  happen  between  your 
children  and  mine.”  Shortly  afterwards,  the  ungrateful  Piero 
died  of  that  illness.  He  left  a wife  of  bad  character  and  one 
son,  who  after  the  lapse  of  some  years  came  to  me  to  beg  for 
alms  in  Rome.  I gave  him  something,  as  well  because  it  is  my 
nature  to  be  charitable,  as  also  because  I recalled  with  tears  the 
happy  state  which  Pierino  held  when  my  father  spake  those 
words  of  prophecy,  namely,  that  Pierino’s  children  should  live 
to  crave  succour  from  his  own  virtuous  sons.  Of  this  perhaps 
enough  is  now  said  ; but  let  none  ever  laugh  at  the  prognos- 
tications of  any  worthy  man  whom  he  has  wrongfully  insulted  ; 
because  it  is  not  he  who  speaks,  nay,  but  the  very  voice  of  God 
through  him. 

X 

All  this  while  I worked  as  a goldsmith,  and  was  able  to 
assist  my  good  father.  His  other  son,  my  brother  Cecchino, 
had,  as  I said  before,  been  instructed  in  the  rudiments  of  Latin 
letters.  It  was  our  father’s  wish  to  make  me,  the  elder,  a great 
musician  and  composer,  and  him,  the  younger,  a great  and 
learned  jurist.  He  could  not,  however,  put  force  upon  the 
inclinations  of  our  nature,  which  directed  me  to  the  arts  of 
design,  and  my  brother,  who  had  a fine  and  graceful  person, 
to  the  profession  of  arms.  Cecchino,  being  still  quite  a lad, 
was  returning  from  his  first  lesson  in  the  school  of  the  stupen- 
dous Giovannino  de’  Medici.  On  the  day  when  he  reached 


i6 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


home,  I happened  to  be  absent ; and  he,  being  in  want  of 
proper  clothes,  sought  out  our  sisters,  who,  unknown  to  my 
father,  gave  him  a cloak  and  doublet  of  mine,  both  new  and  of 
good  quality.  I ought  to  say  that,  beside  the  aid  I gave  my 
father  and  my  excellent  and  honest  sisters,  I had  bought  those 
handsome  clothes  out  of  my  own  savings.  When  I found  I 
had  been  cheated,  and  my  clothes  taken  from  me,  and  my 
brother  from  whom  I should  have  recovered  them  was  gone, 
I asked  my  father  why  he  suffered  so  great  a wrong  to  be  done 
me,  seeing  that  I was  always  ready  to  assist  him.  He  replied 
that  I was  his  good  son,  but  that  the  other,  whom  he  thought 
to  have  lost,  had  been  found  again ; also  that  it  was  a duty, 
nay,  a precept  from  God  Himself,  that  he  who  hath  should  give 
to  him  who  hath  not ; and  that  for  his  sake  I ought  to  bear  this 
injustice,  for  God  would  increase  me  in  all  good  things.  I, 
like  a youth  without  experience,  retorted  on  my  poor  afflicted 
parent ; and  taking  the  miserable  remnants  of  my  clothes  and 
money,  went  toward  a gate  of  the  city.  As  I did  not  know 
which  gate  would  start  me  on  the  road  to  Rome,  I arrived  at 
Lucca,  and  from  Lucca  reached  Pisa. 

When  I came  to  Pisa  (I  was  about  sixteen  years  of  age  at  the 
time),  I stopped  near  the  middle  bridge,  by  what  is  called  the 
Fish-stone,  at  the  shop  of  a goldsmith,  and  began  attentively 
to  watch  what  the  master  was  about.^  He  asked  me  who  I 
was,  and  what  was  my  profession.  I told  him  that  I worked 
a little  in  the  same  trade  as  his  own.  This  worthy  man  bade 
me  come  into  his  shop,  and  at  once  gave  me  work  to  do,  and 
spoke  as  follows : “Your  good  appearance  makes  me  believe 
you  are  a decent  honest  youth. Then  he  told  me  out  gold, 
silver,  and  gems  ; and  when  the  first  day’s  work  was  finished, 
he  took  me  in  the  evening  to  his  house,  where  he  dwelt  re- 
spectably with  his  handsome  wife  and  children.  Thinking  of 
the  grief  which  my  good  father  might  be  feeling  for  me,  I 
wrote  him  that  I was  sojourning  with  a very  excellent  and 
honest  man,  called  Maestro  Ulivieri  della  Chiostra,  and  was 
working  with  him  at  many  things  of  beauty  and  importance. 
I bade  him  be  of  good  cheer,  for  that  I was  bent  on  learning, 
and  hoped  by  my  acquirements  to  bring  him  back  both  profit 
and  honour  before  long.  My  good  father  answered  the  letter 
at  once  in  words  like  these  : “ My  son,  the  love  I bear  you  is 

^ The  Fish-stone,  or  Pietra  del  Pesce,  was  the  market  on  the  quay  where 
the  fish  brought  from  the  sea  up  the  Arno  to  Pisa  used  to  be  sold. 


BOOK  FIRST 


17 


so  great,  that  if  it  were  not  for  the  honour  of  our  family,  which 
above  all  things  I regard,  I should  immediately  have  set  off 
for  you  ; for  indeed  it  seems  like  being  without  the  light  of  my 
eyes,  when  I do  not  see  you  daily,  as  I used  to  do.  I will 
make  it  my  business  to  complete  the  training  of  my  household 
up  to  virtuous  honesty  ; do  you  make  it  yours  to  acquire 
excellence  in  your  art  ; and  I only  wish  you  to  remember 
these  four  simple  words,  obey  them,  and  never  let  them  escape 
your  memory : 

In  whatever  house  you  be, 

Steal  not,  and  live  honestly.” 


XI 

This  letter  fell  into  the  hands  of  my  master  Ulivieri,  and  he 
read  it  unknown  to  me.  Afterwards  he  avowed  that  he  had 
read  it,  and  added  : “ So  then,  my  Benvenuto,  your  good  looks 
did  not  deceive  me,  as  a letter  from  your  father  which  has 
come  into  my  hands  gives  me  assurance,  which  proves  him  to 
be  a man  of  notable  honesty  and  worth.  Consider  yourself 
then  to  be  at  home  here,  and  as  though  in  your  own  father’s 
house.” 

While  I stayed  at  Pisa,  I went  to  see  the  Campo  Santo,  and 
there  I found  many  beautiful  fragments  of  antiquity,  that  is  to 
say,  marble  sarcophagi.  In  other  parts  of  Pisa  also  I saw 
many  antique  objects,  which  I diligently  studied  whenever  1 
had  days  or  hours  free  from  the  labour  of  the  workshop.  My 
master,  who  took  pleasure  in  coming  to  visit  me  in  the  little 
room  which  he  had  allotted  me,  observing  that  I spent  all 
my  time  in  studious  occupations,  began  to  love  me  like  a father. 
I made  great  progress  in  the  one  year  that  I stayed  there, 
and  completed  several  fine  and  valuable  things  in  gold  and 
silver,  which  inspired  me  with  a resolute  ambition  to  advance 
in  my  art. 

My  father,  in  the  meanwhile,  kept  writing  piteous  entreaties 
that  I should  return  to  him  ; and  in  every  letter  bade  me  not 
to  lose  the  music  he  had  taught  me  with  such  trouble.  On 
this,  I suddenly  gave  up  all  wish  to  go  back  to  him  ; so  much 
did  I hate  that  accursed  music  ; and  I felt  as  though  of  a truth 
I were  in  paradise  the  whole  year  I stayed  at  Pisa,  where  I 
never  played  the  flute. 

At  the  end  of  the  year  my  master  Ulivieri  had  occasion  to 

B 


i8 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


go  to  Florence,  in  order  to  sell  certain  gold  and  silver  sweep- 
ings which  he  had  ; ^ and  inasmuch  as  the  bad  air  of  Pisa  had 
given  me  a touch  of  fever,  I went  with  the  fever  hanging  still 
about  me,  in  my  master’s  company,  back  to  Florence.  There 
my  father  received  him  most  affectionately,  and  lovingly  prayed 
him,  unknown  by  me,  not  to  insist  on  taking  me  again  to  Pisa. 
I was  ill  about  two  months,  during  which  time  my  father  had 
me  most  kindly  treated  and  cured,  always  repeating  that  it 
seemed  to  him  a thousand  years  till  I got  well  again,  in  order 
that  he  might  hear  me  play  a little.  But  when  he  talked  to 
me  of  music,  with  his  fingers  on  my  pulse,  seeing  he  had  some 
acquaintance  with  medicine  and  Latin  learning,  he  felt  it 
change  so  much  if  he  approached  that  topic,  that  he  was  often 
dismayed  and  left  my  side  in  tears.  When  I perceived  how 
greatly  he  was  disappointed,  I bade  one  of  my  sisters  bring 
me  a flute  ; for  though  the  fever  never  left  me,  that  instrument 
is  so  easy  that  it  did  not  hurt  me  to  play  upon  it ; and  I used 
it  with  such  dexterity  of  hand  and  tongue  that  my  father, 
coming  suddenly  upon  me,  blessed  me  a thousand  times, 
exclaiming  that  while  I was  away  from  him  I had  made  great 
progress,  as  he  thought  ; and  he  begged  me  to  go  forwards, 
and  not  to  sacrifice  so  fine  an  accomplishment 


XII 

V/hen  I had  recovered  my  health,  I returned  to  my  old  friend 
Marcone,  the  worthy  goldsmith,  who  put  me  in  the  way  of 
earning  money,  with  which  I helped  my  father  and  our  house- 
hold. About  that  time  there  came  to  Florence  a sculptor 
named  Piero  Torrigiani  he  arrived  from  England,  where  he 
had  resided  many  years  ; and  being  intimate  with  my  master, 
he  daily  visited  his  house  ; and  when  he  saw  my  drawings  and 
the  things  which  I was  making,  he  said  : “ I have  come  to 
Florence  to  enlist  as  many  young  men  as  I can  ; for  I have 

^ I have  translated  spazzature  by  sweepv^gs.  It  means  all  refuse  of  the 
precious  metals  left  in  the  goldsmith’s  trays. 

2 Torrigiani  worked  in  fact  for  Henry  VIII.,  and  his  monument  to  Henry 
VIL  still  exists  in  the  Lady  Chapel  of  Westminster  Abbey  From  England 
he  went  to  Spain,  where  he  modelled  a statue  of  the  Virgin  for  a great  noble- 
man. Not  receiving  the  pay  he  expected,  he  broke  his  work  to  pieces ; for 
which  act  of  sacrilege  the  Inquisition  sent  him  to  prison,  where  he  starved 
himself  to  death  in  1522.  Such  at  least  is  the  legend  of  his  end. 


BOOK  FIRST 


19 


undertaken  to  execute  a great  work  for  my  king,  and  want  some 
of  my  own  Florentines  to  help  me.  Now  your  method  of  work- 
ing and  your  designs  are  worthy  rather  of  a sculptor  than  a 
goldsmith  ; and  since  I have  to  turn  out  a great  piece  of  bronze, 
I will  at  the  same  time  turn  you  into  a rich  and  able  artist.’ ' 
This  man  had  a splendid  person  and  a most  arrogant  spirit, 
with  the  air  of  a great  soldier  more  than  of  a sculptor,  especially 
in  regard  to  his  vehement  gestures  and  his  resonant  voice,  to- 
gether with  a habit  he  had  of  knitting  his  brows,  enough  to 
frighten  any  man  of  courage.  He  kept  talking  every  day  about 
his  gallant  feats  among  those  beasts  of  Englishmen. 

In  course  of  conversation  he  happened  to  mention  Michel 
Agnolo  Buonarroti,  led  thereto  by  a drawing  I had  made  from 
a cartoon  of  that  divinest  painter.^  This  cartoon  was  the  first 
masterpiece  which  Michel  Agnolo  exhibited,  in  proof  of  his 
stupendous  talents.  He  produced  it  in  competition  with 
another  painter,  Lionardo  da  Vinci,  who  also  made  a cartoon  ; 
and  both  were  intended  for  the  council-hall  in  the  palace  of  the 
Signory.  They  represented  the  taking  of  Pisa  by  the  Floren- 
tines ; and  our  admirable  Lionardo  had  chosen  to  depict  a 
battle  of  horses,  with  the  capture  of  some  standards,  in  as 
divine  a style  as  could  possibly  be  imagined.  Michel  Agnolo 
in  his  cartoon  portrayed  a number  of  foot-soldiers,  who,  the 
season  being  summer,  had  gone  to  bathe  in  Arno.  He  drew 
them  at  the  very  moment  the  alarm  is  sounded,  and  the  men 
all  naked  run  to  arms  ; so  splendid  in  their  action  that  nothing 
survives  of  ancient  or  of  modern  art  which  touches  the  same 
lofty  point  of  excellence  ; and  as  I have  already  said,  the  design 
of  the  great  Lionardo  was  itself  most  admirably  beautiful. 
These  two  cartoons  stood,  one  in  the  palace  of  the  Medici,  the 
other  in  the  hall  of  the  Pope.  So  long  as  they  remained 
intact,  they  were  the  school  of  the  world.  Though  the  divine 
Michel  Agnolo  in  later  life  finished  that  great  chapel  of  Pope 
Julius,^  he  never  rose  half-way  to  the  same  pitch  of  power  ; his 
genius  never  afterwards  attained  to  the  force  of  those  first 
studies. 

1 The  cartoons  to  which  Cellini  here  alludes  were  made  by  Michel  Angelo 
and  Lionardo  for  the  decoration  of  the  Sala  del  Gran  Consiglio  in  the  Palazzo 
Vecchio  at  Florence.  Only  the  shadows  of  them  remain  to  this  day  ; a part 
of  Michel  Angelo’s,  engraved  by  Schiavonetti,  and  a transcript  by  Rubens  from 
Lionardo’s,  called  the  Battle  of  the  Standard. 

2 The  Sistine  Chapel  in  the  Vatican. 


20 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


XIII 

Now  let  us  return  to  Piero  Torrigiani,  who,  with  my  draw- 
ing in  his  hand,  spoke  as  follows  : “ This  Buonarroti  and  I used, 
when  we  were  boys,  to  go  into  the  Church  of  the  Carmine,  to 
learn  drawing  from  the  chapel  of  Masacciod  It  was  Buon- 
arroti’s habit  to  banter  all  who  were  drawing  there  ; and  one 
day,  among  others,  when  he  was  annoying  me,  I got  more 
angry  than  usual,  and  clenching  my  fist,  gave  him  such  a blow 
on  the  nose,  that  I felt  bone  and  cartilage  go  down  like  biscuit 
beneath  my  knuckles  ; and  this  mark  of  mine  he  will  carry 
with  him  to  the  grave.”  ^ These  words  begat  in  me  such 
hatred  of  the  man,  since  I was  always  gazing  at  the  master- 
pieces of  the  divine  Michel  Agnolo,  that  although  I felt  a 
wish  to  go  with  him  to  England,  I now  could  never  bear  the 
sight  of  him. 

All  the  while  I was  at  Florence,  I studied  the  noble  manner 
of  Michel  Agnolo,  and  from  this  I have  never  deviated. 
About  that  time  I contracted  a close  and  familiar  friendship 
with  an  amiable  lad  of  my  own  age,  who  was  also  in  the  gold- 
smith’s trade.  He  was  called  Francesco,  son  of  Filippo,  and 
grandson  of  Fra  Lippo  Lippi,  that  most  excellent  painter.^ 
Through  intercourse  together,  such  love  grew  up  between  us 
that,  day  or  night,  we  never  stayed  apart.  The  house  where 
he  lived  was  still  full  of  the  fine  studies  which  his  father  had 
made,  bound  up  in  several  books  of  drawings  by  his  hand,  and 
taken  from  the  best  antiquities  of  Rome.  The  sight  of  these 
things  filled  me  with  passionate  enthusiasm  ; and  for  two 
years  or  thereabouts  we  lived  in  intimacy.  At  that  time  I 


1 The  Chapel  of  the  Carmine,  painted  in  fresco  by  Masaccio  and  some 
other  artist,  possibly  Filippino  Lippi,  is  still  the  most  important  monument  of 
Florentine  art  surviving  from  the  period  preceding  Raphael. 

^ The  profile  portraits  of  Michel  Angelo  Buonarroti  confirm  this  story. 
They  show  the  bridge  of  his  nose  bent  in  an  angle,  as  though  it  had  been 
broken. 

^ Fra  Filippo  Lippi  was  a Carmelite  monk,  whose  frescoes  at  Prato  and 
Spoleto  and  oil-paintings  in  Florence  and  elsewhere  are  among  the  most 
genial  works  of  the  pre-Raphaelite  Renaissance.  Vasari  narrates  his  love- 
adventures  with  Lucrezia  Buti,  and  Robert  Browning  has  drawn  a clever 
portrait  of  him  in  his  “ Men  and  Women.”  His  son,  Filippo  or  Filippino, 
was  also  an  able  painter,  some  of  whose  best  work  survives  in  the  Strozzi 
Chapel  of  S.  Maria  Novella  at  Florence,  and  in  the  Church  of  S.  Maria  Sopra 
Minerva  at  Rome. 


BOOK  FIRST 


21 


fashioned  a silver  bas-relief  of  the  size  of  a little  child’s  hand. 
It  was  intended  for  the  clasp  to  a man’s  belt ; for  they  were 
then  worn  as  large  as  that.  I carved  on  it  a knot  of  leaves  in 
the  antique  style,  with  figures  of  children  and  other  masks  of 
great  beauty.  This  piece  I made  in  the  workshop  of  one 
Francesco  Salimbene  ; and  on  its  being  exhibited  to  the  trade, 
the  goldsmiths  praised  me  as  the  best  young  craftsman  of 
their  art. 

There  was  one  Giovan  Battista,  surnamed  II  Tasso,  a wood- 
carver,  precisely  of  my  own  age,  who  one  day  said  to  me  that 
if  I was  willing  to  go  to  Rome,  he  should  be  glad  to  join  me.^ 
Now  we  had  this  conversation  together  immediately  after 
dinner ; and  I being  angry  with  my  father  for  the  same  old 
reason  of  the  music,  said  to  Tasso  : “You  are  a fellow  of 
words,  not  deeds.”  He  answered  : “ I too  have  come  to 
anger  with  my  mother  ; and  if  I had  cash  enough  to  take  me 
to  Rome,  I would  not  turn  back  to  lock  the  door  of  that 
wretched  little  workshop  I call  mine.”  To  these  words  I 
replied  that  if  that  was  all  that  kept  him  in  Florence  I had 
money  enough  in  my  pockets  to  bring  us  both  to  Rome. 
Talking  thus  and  walking  onwards,  we  found  ourselves  at  the 
gate  San  Piero  Gattolini  without  noticing  that  we  had  got 
there  ; whereupon  I said  : “ Friend  Tasso,  this  is  God’s  doing 
that  we  have  reached  this  gate  without  either  you  or  me 
noticing  that  we  were  there  ; and  now  that  I am  here,  it 
seems  to  me  that  I have  finished  half  the  journey.”  And  so, 
being  of  one  accord,  we  pursued  our  way  together,  saying, 
“ Oh,  what  will  our  old  folks  say  this  evening  ? ” We  then 
made  an  agreement  not  to  think  more  about  them  till  we 
reached  Rome.  So  we  tied  our  aprons  behind  our  backs,  and 
trudged  almost  in  silence  to  Siena.  When  we  arrived  at 
Siena,  Tasso  said  (for  he  had  hurt  his  feet)  that  he  would  not 
go  farther,  and  asked  me  to  lend  him  money  to  get  back.  I 
made  answer  : “ I should  not  have  enough  left  to  go  forward  ; 
you  ought  indeed  to  have  thought  of  this  on  leaving  Florence  ; 
and  if  it  is  because  of  your  feet  that  you  shirk  the  journey, 
we  will  find  a return  horse  for  Rome,  which  will  deprive  you 
of  the  excuse.”  Accordingly  I hired  a horse  ; and  seeing 

^ Tasso  was  an  able  artist,  mentioned  both  by  Vasari  and  Pietro  Aretino. 
He  stood  high  in  the  favour  of  Duke  Cosimo  de’  Medici,  who  took  his  opinion 
on  the  work  of  other  craftsmen. 


22 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


that  he  did  not  answer,  I took  my  way  toward  the  gate  of 
Rome.  When  he  knew  that  I was  firmly  resolved  to  go, 
muttering  between  his  teeth,  and  limping  as  well  as  he  could, 
he  came  on  behind  me  very  slowly  and  at  a great  distance. 
On  reaching  the  gate,  I felt  pity  for  my  comrade,  and  waited 
for  him,  and  took  him  on  the  crupper,  saying  : “ What  would 
our  friends  speak  of  us  to-morrow,  if,  having  left  for  Rome,  we 
had  not  pluck  to  get  beyond  Siena  ? ” Then  the  good  Tasso 
said  I spoke  the  truth  ; and  as  he  was  a pleasant  fellow,  he 
began  to  laugh  and  sing  ; and  in  this  way,  always  singing  and 
laughing,  we  travelled  the  whole  way  to  Rome.  I had  just 
nineteen  years  then,  and  so  had  the  century. 

When  we  reached  Rome,  I put  myself  under  a master 
who  was  known  as  II  Firenzuola.  His  name  was  Giovanni, 
and  he  came  from  Firenzuola  in  Lombardy,  a most  able 
craftsman  in  large  vases  and  big  plate  of  that  kind.  I showed 
him  part  of  the  model  for  the  clasp  which  I had  made 
in  Florence  at  Salimbene’s.  It  pleased  him  exceedingly ; 
and  turning  to  one  of  his  journeymen,  a Florentine  called 
Giannotto  Giannotti,  who  had  been  several  years  with  him, 
he  spoke  as  follows  : “ This  fellow  is  one  of  the  Florentines 
who  know  something,  and  you  are  one  of  those  who  know 
nothing.”  Then  I recognised  the  man,  and  turned  to  speak 
with  him  ; for  before  he  went  to  Rome,  we  often  went  to  draw 
together,  and  had  been  very  intimate  comrades.  He  was  so 
put  out  by  the  words  his  master  flung  at  him,  that  he  said  he 
did  not  recognise  me  or  know  who  I was  ; whereupon  I got 
angry,  and  cried  out : “ O Giannotto,  you  who  were  once  my 
friend  — for  have  we  not  been  together  in  such  and  such 
places,  and  drawn,  and  ate,  and  drunk,  and  slept  in  company 
at  your  house  in  the  country  ? I don’t  want  you  to  bear 
witness  on  my  behalf  to  this  worthy  man,  your  master,  because 
I hope  my  hands  are  such  that  without  aid  from  you  they 
will  declare  what  sort  of  a fellow  I am.” 


XIV 

When  I had  thus  spoken,  Firenzuola,  who  was  a man  of  hot 
spirit  and  brave,  turned  to  Giannotto,  and  said  to  him : 
“You  vile  rascal,  aren’t  you  ashamed  to  treat  a man  who  has 
been  so  intimate  a comrade  with  you  in  this  way  ? ” And  with 


BOOK  FIRST 


23 


the  same  movement  of  quick  feeling,  he  faced  round  and  said 
to  me  : “ Welcome  to  my  workshop  ; and  do  as  you  have 
promised  ; let  your  hands  declare  what  man  you  are.” 

He  gave  me  a very  fine  piece  of  silver  plate  to  work  on 
for  a cardinal.  It  was  a little  oblong  box,  copied  from  the 
porphyry  sarcophagus  before  the  door  of  the  Rotonda.  Beside 
what  I copied,  I enriched  it  with  so  many  elegant  masks  of  my 
invention,  that  my  master  went  about  showing  it  through 
the  art,  and  boasting  that  so  good  a piece  of  work  had  been 
turned  out  from  his  shop.^  It  was  about  half  a cubit  in  size, 
and  was  so  constructed  as  to  serve  for  a salt-cellar  at  table. 
This  was  the  first  earning  that  I touched  at  Rome,  and  part  of 
it  I sent  to  assist  my  good  father  ; the  rest  I kept  for  my  own 
use,  living  upon  it  while  I went  about  studying  the  antiquities 
of  Rome,  until  my  money  failed,  and  I had  to  return  to  the 
shop  for  work.  Battista  del  Tasso,  my  comrade,  did  not  stay 
long  in  Rome,  but  went  back  to  Florence. 

After  undertaking  some  new  commissions,  I took  it  into  my 
head,  as  soon  as  I had  finished  them,  to  change  my  master ; 
I had  indeed  been  worried  into  doing  so  by  a certain  Milanese, 
called  Pagolo  Arsago.^  first  master,  Firenzuola,  had  a great 
quarrel  about  this  with  Arsago,  and  abused  him  in  my  presence  ; 
whereupon  I took  up  speech  in  defence  of  my  new  master. 
I said  that  I was  born  free,  and  free  I meant  to  live,  and  that 
there  was  no  reason  to  complain  of  him,  far  less  of  me,  since 
some  few  crowns  of  wages  were  still  due  to  me  ; also  that 
I chose  to  go,  like  a free  journeyman,  where  it  pleased  me, 
knowing  I did  wrong  to  no  man.  My  new  master  then  put  in 
with  his  excuses,  saying  that  he  had  not  asked  me  to  come, 
and  that  I should  gratify  him  by  returning  with  Firenzuola. 
To  this  I replied  that  I was  not  aware  of  wronging  the  latter 
in  any  way,  and  as  I had  completed  his  commissions,  I chose 
to  be  my  own  master  and  not  the  man  of  others,  and  that  he 
who  wanted  me  must  beg  me  of  myself.  Firenzuola  cried  : 
“ I don’t  intend  to  beg  you  of  yourself  ; I have  done  with  you  ; 
don’t  show  yourself  again  upon  my  premises.”  I reminded  him 

^ Cellini’s  use  of  the  word  arte  for  the  art  or  trade  of  goldsmiths  corre- 
sponds to  “the  art”  as  used  by  English  writers  early  in  this  century.  See 
Haydon’s  Autobiography,  passim. 

2 The  Italian  is  sobbillato,  which  might  be  also  translated  inveigled  or  in- 
stigated. But  Varchi,  the  contemporary  of  Cellini,  gives  this  verb  the  force  of 
using  pressure  and  boring  on  until  somebody  is  driven  to  do  something. 


24 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


of  the  money  lie  owed  me.  He  laughed  me  in  the  face  ; on 
which  I said  that  if  I knew  how  to  use  my  tools  in  handicraft 
as  well  as  he  had  seen,  I could  be  quite  as  clever  with  my  sword 
in  claiming  the  just  payment  of  my  labour.  While  we  were 
exchanging  these  words,  an  old  man  happened  to  come  up, 
called  Maestro  Antonio,  of  San  Marino.  He  was  the  chief 
among  the  Roman  goldsmiths,  and  had  been  Firenzuola’s 
master.  Hearing  what  I had  to  say,  which  I took  good  care 
that  he  should  understand,  he  immediately  espoused  my  cause, 
and  bade  Firenzuola  pay  me.  The  dispute  waxed  warm, 
because  Firenzuola  was  an  admirable  swordsman,  far  better 
than  he  was  a goldsmith.  Yet  reason  made  itself  heard  ; and 
I backed  my  cause  with  the  same  spirit,  till  I got  myself  paid. 
In  course  of  time  Firenzuola  and  I became  friends,  and  at 
his  request  I stood  godfather  to  one  of  his  children. 


XV 

I went  on  working  with  Pagolo  Arsago,  and  earned  a good 
deal  of  money,  the  greater  part  of  which  I alwa3^s  sent  to  my 
good  father.  At  the  end  of  two  years,  upon  my  father’s  en- 
treaty, I returned  to  Florence,  and  put  myself  once  more 
under  Francesco  Salimbene,  with  whom  I earned  a great 
deal,  and  took  continual  pains  to  improve  in  my  art.  I re- 
newed my  intimacy  with  Francesco  di  Filippo ; and  though  I 
was  too  much  given  to  pleasure,  owing  to  that  accursed  music, 
I never  neglected  to  devote  some  hours  of  the  day  or  night  to 
study.  At  that  time  I fashioned  a silver  heart’s-key  {chiava- 
quore),  as  it  was  then  called.  This  was  a girdle  three  inches 
broad,  which  used  to  be  made  for  brides,  and  was  executed  in 
half  relief  with  some  small  figures  in  the  round.  It  was  a 
commission  from  a man  called  Raffaello  Lapaccini.  I was 
very  badly  paid  ; but  the  honour  which  it  brought  me  was 
worth  far  more  than  the  gain  I might  have  justly  made  by  it. 
Having  at  this  time  worked  with  many  different  persons  in 
Florence,  I had  come  to  know  some  worthy  men  among  the 
goldsmiths,  as,  for  instance,  Marcone,  my  first  master  ; but  I 
also  met  with  others  reputed  honest,  who  did  all  they  could  to 
ruin  me,  and  robbed  me  grossly.  When  I perceived  this,  I 
left  their  company,  and  held  them  for  thieves  and  blackguards. 
One  of  the  goldsmiths,  called  Giovanbattista  Sogliani,  kindly 


BOOK  FIRST 


25 


accommodated  me  with  part  of  his  shop,  which  stood  at  the 
side  of  the  New  Market  near  the  Landi’s  bank.  There  I 
hnished  several  pretty  pieces,  and  made  good  gains,  and  was 
able  to  give  my  family  much  help.  This  roused  the  jealousy 
of  the  bad  men  among  my  former  masters,  who  were  called 
Salvadore  and  Michele  Guasconti.  In  the  guild  of  the  gold- 
smiths they  had  three  big  shops,  and  drove  a thriving  trade.  On 
becoming  aware  of  their  evil  will  against  me,  I complained  to 
certain  worthy  fellows,  and  remarked  that  they  ought  to  have 
been  satisfied  with  the  thieveries  they  practised  on  me  under 
the  cloak  of  hypocritical  kindness.  This  coming  to  their  ears, 
they  threatened  to  make  me  sorely  repent  of  such  words  ; but 
I,  who  knew  not  what  the  colour  of  fear  was,  paid  them  little 
or  no  heed. 


XVI 

It  chanced  one  day  that  I was  leaning  against  a shop  of  one 
of  these  men,  who  called  out  to  me,  and  began  partly  re- 
proaching, partly  bullying.  I answered  that  had  they  done 
their  duty  by  me,  I should  have  spoken  of  them  what  one 
speaks  of  good  and  worthy  men  ; but  as  they  had  done  the 
contrary,  they  ought  to  complain  of  themselves  and  not  of  me. 
While  I was  standing  there  and  talking,  one  of  them,  named 
Gherardo  Guasconti,  their  cousin,  having  perhaps  been  put  up 
to  it  by  them,  lay  in  wait  till  a beast  of  burden  went  by.^  It 
was  a load  of  bricks.  When  the  load  reached  me,  Gherardo 
pushed  it  so  violently  on  my  body  that  I was  very  much  hurt. 
Turning  suddenly  round  and  seeing  him  laughing,  I struck  him 
such  a blow  on  the  temple  that  he  fell  down,  stunned,  like  one 
dead.  Then  I faced  round  to  his  cousins,  and  said  : “ That^s 
the  way  to  treat  cowardly  thieves  of  your  sort ; ” and  when 
they  wanted  to  make  a move  upon  me,  trusting  to  their 
numbers,  I,  whose  blood  was  now  well  up,  laid  hands  to  a 
little  knife  I had,  and  cried  : “ If  one  of  you  comes  out  of  the 
shop,  let  the  other  run  for  the  confessor,  because  the  doctor 
will  have  nothing  to  do  here.”  These  words  so  frightened 
them  that  not  one  stirred  to  help  their  cousin.  As  soon  as  I 
had  gone,  the  fathers  and  sons  ran  to  the  Eight,  and  declared 

^ The  Italian  is  apposth  che  passassi  una  soma.  The  verb  appostare  has 
the  double  meaning  of  lying  in  wait  and  arranging  something  on  purpose. 
Cellini’s  words  may  mean,  caused  a beast  of  burden  to  pass  by. 


26 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


that  I had  assaulted  them  in  their  shops  with  sword  in  hand,  a 
thing  which  had  never  yet  been  seen  in  Florence.  The 
magistrates  had  me  summoned.  I appeared  before  them  ; 
and  they  began  to  upbraid  and  cry  out  upon  me — partly,  I 
think,  because  they  saw  me  in  my  cloak,  while  the  others  were 
dressed  like  citizens  in  mantle  and  hood  ; ^ but  also  because 
my  adversaries  had  been  to  the  houses  of  those  magistrates, 
and  had  talked  with  all  of  them  in  private,  while  I,  inex- 
perienced in  such  matters,  had  not  spoken  to  any  of  them, 
trusting  in  the  goodness  of  my  cause.  I said  that,  having  re- 
ceived such  outrage  and  insult  from  Gherardo,  and  in  my  fury 
having  only  given  him  a box  on  the  ear,  I did  not  think  I de- 
served such  a vehement  reprimand.  I had  hardly  time  to 
finish  the  word  box,  before  Prinzivalle  della  Stufa,*'^  who  was 
one  of  the  Eight,  interrupted  me  by  saying  : “ You  gave  him  a 
blow,  and  not  a box,  on  the  ear.”  The  bell  was  rung  and  we 
were  all  ordered  out,  when  Prinzivalle  spoke  thus  in  my  de- 
fence to  his  brother  judges  : “ Mark,  sirs,  the  simplicity  of  this 
poor  young  man,  who  has  accused  himself  of  having  given  a 
box  on  the  ear,  under  the  impression  that  this  is  of  less  import- 
ance than  a blow  ; whereas  a box  on  the  ear  in  the  New 
Market  carries  a fine  of  twenty-five  crowns,  while  a blow  costs 
little  or  nothing.  He  is  a young  man  of  admirable  talents,  and 
supports  his  poor  family  by  his  labour  in  great  abundance  ; I 
would  to  God  that  our  city  had  plenty  of  this  sort,  instead  of 
the  present  dearth  of  them.” 


XVII 

Among  the  magistrates  were  some  Radical  fellows  with 
turned-up  hoods,  who  had  been  influenced  by  the  entreaties 
and  the  calumnies  of  my  opponents,  because  they  all  belonged 
to  the  party  of  Fra  Girolamo  ; and  these  men  would  have  had 
me  sent  to  prison  and  punished  without  too  close  a reckoning.^ 

1 Varchi  says  that  a man  who  went  about  with  only  his  cloak  or  cape  by 
daytime,  if  he  were  not  a soldier,  was  reputed  an  ill-liver.  The  Florentine 
citizens  at  this  time  still  wore  their  ancient  civil  dress  of  the  long  gown  and 
hood  called  lucco. 

2 This  man  was  an  ardent  supporter  of  the  Medici,  and  m 1510  organised 
a conspiracy  in  their  favour  against  the  Gonfalonier  Soderini. 

^ Cellini  calls  these  magistrates  arronzinati  cappticcetti^  a term  corresponding 
to  our  Roundheads.  The  democratic  or  anti-Medicean  party  in  Florence  at 
that  time,  who  adhered  to  the  republican  principles  of  Fra  Girolamo  Savon- 


BOOK  FIRST 


27 


But  the  good  Prinzivalle  put  a stop  to  that.  So  they  sen- 
tenced me  to  pay  four  measures  of  flour,  which  were  to  be 
given  as  alms  to  the  nunnery  of  the  Murate.^  I was  called  in 
again  ; and  he  ordered  me  not  to  speak  a word  under  pain 
of  their  displeasure,  and  to  perform  the  sentence  they  had 
passed.  Then,  after  giving  me  another  sharp  rebuke,  they 
sent  us  to  the  chancellor  ; I muttering  all  the  while,  “ It  was  a 
slap  and  not  a blow,”  with  which  we  left  the  Eight  bursting 
with  laughter.  The  chancellor  bound  us  over  upon  bail  on 
both  sides  ; but  only  I was  punished  by  having  to  pay  the  four 
measures  of  meal.  Albeit  just  then  I felt  as  though  I had 
been  massacred,  I sent  for  one  of  my  cousins,  called  Maestro 
Annibale,  the  surgeon,  father  of  Messer  Librodoro  Librodori, 
desiring  that  he  should  go  bail  for  me.^  He  refused  to  come, 
which  made  me  so  angry,  that,  fuming  with  fury  and  swelling 
like  an  asp,  I took  a desperate  resolve.  At  this  point  one  may 
observe  how  the  stars  do  not  so  much  sway  as  force  our 
conduct.  When  I reflected  on  the  great  obligations  which 
this  Annibale  owed  my  family,  my  rage  grew  to  such  a pitch 
that,  turning  wholly  to  evil,  and  being  also  by  nature  some- 
what choleric,  I waited  till  the  magistrates  had  gone  to  dinner  ; 
and  when  I was  alone,  and  observed  that  none  of  their  officers 
were  watching  me,  in  the  fire  of  my  anger,  I left  the  palace, 
ran  to  my  shop,  seized  a dagger,  and  rushed  to  the  house  of 
my  enemies,  who  were  at  home  and  shop  together.  I found 
them  at  table  ; and  Gherardo,  who  had  been  the  cause  of  the 
quarrel,  flung  himself  upon  me.  I stabbed  him  in  the  breast, 
piercing  doublet  and  jerkin  through  and  through  to  the  shirt, 
without  however  grazing  his  flesh  or  doing  him  the  least  harm 
in  the  world.  When  I felt  my  hand  go  in,  and  heard  the 
clothes  tear,  I thought  that  I had  killed  him  ; and  seeing  him 
fail  terror-struck  to  earth,  I cried  : “Traitors,  this  day  is  the 
day  on  which  I mean  to  murder  you  all.”  Father,  mother, 
and  sisters,  thinking  the  last  day  had  come,  threw  themselves 
upon  their  knees,  screaming  out  for  mercy  with  all  their 

arola,  distinguished  themselves  by  wearing  the  long  tails  of  their  hoods  twisted 
up  and  turned  round  their  heads.  Cellini  shows  his  Medicean  sympathies  by 
using  this  contemptuous  term,  and  by  the  honourable  mention  he  makes  of 
Prinzivalle  della  Stufa. 

^ A convent  of  closely  immured  nuns. 

^ The  word  I have  translated  massacred  above  is  assassinate.  It  occurs 
frequently  in  Italian  of  this  period,  and  indicates  the  extremity  of  wrong  and 
outrage. 


28 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


might  ; but  I perceiving  that  they  offered  no  resistance,  and 
that  he  was  stretched  for  dead  upon  the  ground,  thought  it 
too  base  a thing  to  touch  them.  I ran  storming  down  the 
staircase  ; and  when  I reached  the  street,  I found  all  the  rest 
of  the  household,  more  than  twelve  persons  ; one  of  them  had 
seized  an  iron  shovel,  another  a thick  iron  pipe,  one  had  an 
anvil,  some  of  them  hammers,  and  some  cudgels.  When  I 
got  among  them,  raging  like  a mad  bull,  I flung  four  or  five  to 
the  earth,  and  fell  down  with  them  myself,  continually  aiming 
my  dagger  now  at  one  and  now  at  another.  Those  who 
remained  upright  plied  both  hands  with  all  their  force,  giving 
it  me  with  hammers,  cudgels,  and  anvil ; but  inasmuch  as 
God  does  sometimes  mercifully  intervene.  He  so  ordered  that 
neither  they  nor  I did  any  harm  to  one  another.  I only  lost 
my  cap,  on  which  my  adversaries  seized,  though  they  had  run 
away  from  it  before,  and  struck  at  it  with  all  their  weapons. 
Afterwards,  they  searched  among  their  dead  and  wounded, 
and  saw  that  not  a single  man  was  injured. 


XVIII. 

I went  off  in  the  direction  of  Santa  Maria  Novella,  and 
stumbling  up  against  Fra  Alessio  Strozzi,  whom  by  the  way 
I did  not  know,  I entreated  this  good  friar  for  the  love  of  God 
to  save  my  life,  since  I had  committed  a great  fault.  He  told 
me  to  have  no  fear  ; for  had  I done  every  sin  in  the  world,  I 
was  yet  in  perfect  safety  in  his  little  cell. 

After  about  an  hour,  the  Eight,  in  an  extraordinary  meeting, 
caused  one  of  the  most  dreadful  bans  which  ever  were  heard 
of  to  be  published  against  me,  announcing  heavy  penalties 
against  who  should  harbour  me  or  know  where  I was,  without 
regard  to  place  or  to  the  quality  of  my  protector.  My  poor 
afflicted  father  went  to  the  Eight,  threw  himself  upon  his 
knees,  and  prayed  for  mercy  for  his  unfortunate  young  son. 
Thereupon  one  of  those  Radical  fellows,  shaking  the  crest  of 
his  twisted  hood,  stood  up  and  addressed  my  father  with 
these  insulting  words  : ^ “ Get  up  from  there,  and  begone  at 

^ Un  di  quelli  arrovellati  scotendo  la  cresta  dello  arronzinato  cappuccio.  See 
above,  p.  26.  The  democrats  in  Cellini’s  days  were  called  at  Florence  Arra&~ 
biati  or  Arrovellati.  In  the  days  of  Savonarola  this  nickname  had  been  given 
to  the  ultra-Medicean  party  or  Palleschi. 


BOOK  FIRST 


29 


once,  for  to-morrow  we  shall  send  your  son  into  the  country 
with  the  lances.”  ^ My  poor  father  had  still  the  spirit  to 
answer  : “ What  God  shall  have  ordained,  that  will  you  do, 
and  not  a jot  or  tittle  more.”  Whereto  the  same  man  replied 
that  for  certain  God  had  ordained  as  he  had  spoken.  My 
father  said  : “ The  thought  consoles  me  that  you  do  not  know 
for  certain  ; ” and  quitting  their  presence,  he  came  to  visit  me, 
together  with  a young  man  of  my  own  age,  called  Piero  di 
Giovanni  Landi — we  loved  one  another  as  though  we  had 
been  brothers. 

Under  his  mantle  the  lad  carried  a first-rate  sword  and  a 
splendid  coat  of  mail  ; and  when  they  found  me,  my  brave 
father  told  me  what  had  happened,  and  what  the  magistrates 
had  said  to  him.  Then  he  kissed  me  on  the  forehead  and 
both  eyes,  and  gave  me  his  hearty  blessing,  saying  : “ May 
the  power  and  goodness  of  God  be  your  protection  ; ” and 
reaching  me  the  sword  and  armour,  he  helped  me  with  his 
own  hands  to  put  them  on.  Afterwards  he  added  : “ Oh, 
my  good  son,  with  these  arms  in  thy  hand  thou  shalt  either 
live  or  die.”  Pier  Landi,  who  was  present,  kept  shedding 
tears  ; and  when  he  had  given  me  ten  golden  crowns,  I 
bade  him  remove  a few  hairs  from  my  chin,  which  were  the 
first  down  of  my  manhood.  Frate  Alessio  disguised  me  like 
a friar  and  gave  me  a lay  brother  to  go  with  me.^  Quitting 
the  convent,  and  issuing  from  the  city  by  the  gate  of  Prato, 
I went  along  the  walls  as  far  as  the  Piazza  di  San  Gallo. 
Then  I ascended  the  slope  of  Montui,  and  in  one  of  the  first 
houses  there  I found  a man  called  II  Grassuccio,  own  brother 
to  Messer  Benedetto  da  Monte  Varchi.^  I flung  off  my  monk’s 
clothes,  and  became  once  more  a man.  Then  we  mounted 
two  horses,  which  were  waiting  there  for  us,  and  went  by 
night  to  Siena.  Grassuccio  returned  to  Florence,  sought  out 
my  father,  and  gave  him  the  news  of  my  safe  escape.  In 
the  excess  of  his  joy,  it  seemed  a thousand  years  to  my 
father  till  he  should  meet  that  member  of  the  Eight  who  had 

^ Lanciotti.  There  is  some  doubt  about  this  word.  But  it  clearly  means 
men  armed  with  lances,  at  the  disposal  of  the  Signory. 

^ Un  convcrso^  an  attendant  on  the  monks. 

^ Benedetto  da  Monte  Varchi  was  the  celebrated  poet,  scholar,  and  historian 
of  Florence,  better  known  as  Varchi.  Another  of  his  brothers  was  a physician 
of  high  repute  at  Florence.  They  continued  throughout  Cellini’s  life  to  live 
on  terms  of  intimacy  with  him. 


30 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


insulted  him  ; and  when  he  came  across  the  man,  he  said  : 
“ See  you,  Antonio,  that  it  was  God  who  knew  what  had  to 
happen  to  my  son,  and  not  yourself  ? ” To  which  the  fellow 
answered  : “ Only  let  him  get  another  time  into  our  clutches  ! ” 
And  my  father  : “ I shall  spend  my  time  in  thanking  God  that 
He  has  rescued  him  from  that  fate.” 


XIX 

At  Siena  I waited  for  the  mail  to  Rome,  which  I afterwards 
joined  ; and  when  we  passed  the  Paglia,  we  met  a courier 
carrying  news  of  the  new  Pope,  Clement  VII.  Upon  my 
arrival  in  Rome,  I went  to  work  in  the  shop  of  the  master- 
goldsmith  Santi.  He  was  dead  ; but  a son  of  his  carried  on 
the  business.  He  did  not  work  himself,  but  entrusted  all  his 
commissions  to  a young  man  named  Lucagnolo  from  lesi,  a 
country  fellow,  who  while  yet  a child  had  come  into  Santi’s 
service.  This  man  was  short  but  well  proportioned,  and  was 
a more  skilful  craftsman  than  any  one  whom  I had  met  with 
up  to  that  time  ; remarkable  for  facility  and  excellent  in 
design.  He  executed  large  plate  only  ; that  is  to  say,  vases 
of  the  utmost  beauty,  basons,  and  such  pieces.^  Having  put 
myself  to  work  there,  I began  to  make  some  candelabra  for 
the  Bishop  of  Salamanca,  a Spaniard.^  They  were  richly 
chased,  so  far  as  that  sort  of  work  admits.  A pupil  of 
Raffaello  da  Urbino  called  Gian  Francesco,  and  commonly 
known  as  II  Fattore,  was  a painter  of  great  ability  ; and  being 
on  terms  of  friendship  with  the  Bishop,  he  introduced  me  to 
his  favour,  so  that  I obtained  many  commissions  from  that 
prelate,  and  earned  considerable  sums  of  money 

During  that  time  I went  to  draw,  sometimes  in  Michel  Agnolo's 
chapel,  and  sometimes  in  the  house  of  Agostino  Chigi  of  Siena, 
which  contained  many  incomparable  paintings  by  the  hand  of 
that  great  master  Raffaello.^  This  I did  on  feast-days,  because 
the  house  was  then  inhabited  by  Messer  Gismondo,  Agostino's 

^ Cellini  calls  this  grosso'ia. 

2 Don  Francesco  de  Bobadilla.  He  came  to  Rome  in  1517?  was  shut  up 
with  Clement  in  the  Castle  of  S.  Angelo  in  1527,  and  died  in  1529,  after  his 
return  to  Spain. 

* This  painter,  Gio.  Francesco  Penni,  surnamed  II  Fattore,  aided  Raphael 
in  his  Roman  frescoes  and  was  much  beloved  by  him.  Together  with  Giulio 
Romano  he  completed  the  imperfect  Stanze  of  the  Vatican. 

* Cellini  here  alludes  to  the  Sistine  Chapel  and  to  the  Villa  Farnesina  in 


BOOK  FIRST 


31 


brother.  They  plumed  themselves  exceedingly  when  they 
saw  young  men  of  my  sort  coming  to  study  in  their  palaces. 
Gismondo’s  wife,  noticing  my  frequent  presence  in  that  house 
— she  was  a lady  as  courteous  as  could  be,  and  of  surpassing 
beauty — came  up  to  me  one  day,  looked  at  my  drawings,  and 
asked  me  if  I was  a sculptor  or  a painter  ; to  whom  I said  I 
was  a goldsmith.  She  remarked  that  I drew  too  well  for  a 
goldsmith  ; and  having  made  one  of  her  waiting-maids  bring 
a lily  of  the  finest  diamonds  set  in  gold,  she  showed  it  to  me, 
and  bade  me  value  it.  I valued  it  at  800  crowns.  Then  she 
said  that  I had  very  nearly  hit  the  mark,  and  asked  me 
whether  I felt  capable  of  setting  the  stones  really  well.  I said 
that  I should  much  like  to  do  so,  and  began  before  her  eyes  to 
make  a little  sketch  for  it,  working  all  the  better  because  of 
the  pleasure  I took  in  conversing  with  so  lovely  and  agreeable 
a gentlewoman.  When  the  sketch  was  finished,  another 
Roman  lady  of  great  beauty  joined  us  ; she  had  been  above, 
and  now  descending  to  the  ground-floor,  asked  Madonna 
Porzia  what  she  was  doing  there.  She  answered  with  a 
smile  : “ I am  amusing  myself  by  watching  this  worthy  young 
man  at  his  drawing  ; he  is  as  good  as  he  is  handsome.”  I had 
by  this  time  acquired  a trifle  of  assurance,  mixed,  however, 
with  some  honest  bashfulness  ; so  I blushed  and  said  : Such 
as  I am,  lady,  I shall  ever  be  most  ready  to  serve  you.”  The 
gentlewoman,  also  slightly  blushing,  said:  “You  know  well 
that  I want  you  to  serve  me  ; ” and  reaching  me  the  lily,  told 
me  to  take  it  away  ; and  gave  me  besides  twenty  golden 
crowns  which  she  had  in  her  bag,  and  added  : “ Set  me  the 
jewel  after  the  fashion  you  have  sketched,  and  keep  for  me 
the  old  gold  in  which  it  is  now  set.”  On  this  the  Roman  lady 
observed  : “If  I were  in  that  young  man’s  body,  I should 
go  off  without  asking  leave.”  Madonna  Porzia  replied  that 
virtues  rarely  are  at  home  with  vices,  and  that  if  I did  such  a 
thing,  I should  strongly  belie  my  good  looks  of  an  honest  man. 
Then  turning  round,  she  took  the  Roman  lady’s  hand,  and 
with  a pleasant  smile  said  : “ Farewell,  Benvenuto.”  I stayed 
on  a short  while  at  the  drawing  I was  making,  which  was  a 
copy  of  a Jove  by  Raffaello.  When  I had  finished  it  and  left 
the  house,  I set  myself  to  making  a little  model  of  wax,  in 

Trastevere,  built  by  the  Sienese  banker,  Agostino  Chigi.  It  was  here  that 
Raphael  painted  his  Galatea  and  the  whole  fable  of  Cupid  and  Psyche. 


32 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


order  to  show  how  the  jewel  would  look  when  it  was  com- 
pleted. This  I took  to  Madonna  Porzia,  whom  I found  with 
the  same  Roman  lady.  Both  of  them  were  highly  satisfied 
with  my  work,  and  treated  me  so  kindly  that,  being  somewhat 
emboldened,  I promised  the  jewel  should  be  twice  as  good  as 
the  model.  Accordingly  I set  hand  to  it,  and  in  twelve  days  1 
finished  it  in  the  form  of  a fleur-de-lys,  as  I have  said  above, 
ornamenting  it  with  little  masks,  children,  and  animals,  ex- 
quisitely enamelled,  whereby  the  diamonds  which  formed  the 
lily  were  more  than  doubled  in  effect. 


XX 

While  I was  working  at  this  piece,  Lucagnolo,  of  whose 
ability  I have  before  spoken,  showed  considerable  discontent, 
telling  me  over  and  over  again  that  I might  acquire  far  more 
profit  and  honour  by  helping  him  to  execute  large  plate,  as  I 
had  done  at  first.  I made  him  answer  that,  whenever  I chose, 
I should  always  be  capable  of  working  at  great  silver  pieces  ; 
but  that  things  like  that  on  which  I was  now  engaged  were 
not  commissioned  every  day  ; and  beside  their  bringing  no  less 
honour  than  large  silver  plate,  there  was  also  more  profit  to  be 
made  by  them.  He  laughed  me  in  the  face,  and  said  : “Wait 
and  see,  Benvenuto  ; for  by  the  time  that  you  have  finished 
that  work  of  yours,  I will  make  haste  to  have  finished  this 
vase,  which  I took  in  hand  when  you  did  the  jewel  ; and  then 
experience  shall  teach  you  what  profit  I shall  get  from  my 
vase,  and  what  you  will  get  from  your  ornament.”  I answered 
that  I was  very  glad  indeed  to  enter  into  such  a competition 
with  so  good  a craftsman  as  he  was,  because  the  end  would 
show  which  of  us  was  mistaken.  Accordingly  both  the  one 
and  the  other  of  us,  with  a scornful  smile  upon  our  lips,  bent 
our  heads  in  grim  earnest  to  the  work,  which  both  were 
now  desirous  of  accomplishing  ; so  that  after  about  ten  days, 
each  had  finished  his  undertaking  with  great  delicacy  and 
artistic  skill. 

Lucagnolo’s  was  a huge  silver  piece,  used  at  the  table  of 
Pope  Clement,  into  which  he  flung  away  bits  of  bone  and  the 
rind  of  divers  fruits,  while  eating  ; an  object  of  ostentation 
rather  than  necessity.  The  vase  was  adorned  with  two  fine 
handles,  together  with  many  masks,  both  small  and  great,  and 


BOOK  FIRST 


33 


masses  of  lovely  foliage,  in  as  exquisite  a style  of  elegance  as 
could  be  imagined  ; on  seeing  which  I said  it  was  the  most 
beautiful  vase  that  ever  I set  eyes  on.  Thinking  he  had 
convinced  me,  Lucagnolo  replied  : “Your  work  seems  to  me 
no  less  beautiful,  but  we  shall  soon  perceive  the  difference 
between  the  two.”  So  he  took  his  vase  and  carried  it  to  the 
Pope,  who  was  very  well  pleased  with  it,  and  ordered  at  once 
that  he  should  be  paid  at  the  ordinary  rate  of  such  large  plate. 
Meanwhile  I carried  mine  to  Madonna  Porzia,  who  looked  at 
it  with  astonishment,  and  told  me  I had  far  surpassed  my  pro- 
mise. Then  she  bade  me  ask  for  my  reward  whatever  I liked  ; 
for  it  seemed  to  her  my  desert  was  so  great  that  if  I craved 
a castle  she  could  hardly  recompense  me  ; but  since  that  was 
not  in  her  hands  to  bestow,  she  added  laughing  that  I must 
beg  what  lay  within  her  power.  I answered  that  the  greatest 
reward  I could  desire  for  my  labour  was  to  have  satisfied 
her  ladyship.  Then,  smiling  in  my  turn,  and  bowing  to  her, 
I took  my  leave,  saying  I wanted  no  reward  but  that.  She 
turned  to  the  Roman  lady  and  said  : “You  see  that  the  quali- 
ties we  discerned  in  him  are  companied  by  virtues,  and  not 
vices.”  They  both  expressed  their  admiration,  and  then 
Madonna  Porzia  continued  : “ Friend  Benvenuto,  have  you 
never  heard  it  said  that  when  the  poor  give  to  the  rich,  the 
devil  laughs  ? ” I replied  : “ Quite  true  ! and  yet,  in  the  midst 
of  all  his  troubles,  I should  like  this  time  to  see  him  laugh  ; ” 
and  as  I took  my  leave,  she  said  that  this  time  she  had  no  will 
to  bestow  on  him  that  favour. 

When  I came  back  to  the  shop,  Lucagnolo  had  the  money 
for  his  vase  in  a paper  packet ; and  on  my  arrival  he  cried 
out  : “ Come  and  compare  the  price  of  your  jewel  with  the 
price  of  my  plate.”  I said  that  he  must  leave  things  as  they 
were  till  the  next  day,  because  I hoped  that  even  as  my  work 
in  its  kind  was  not  less  excellent  than  his,  so  I should  be  able 
to  show  him  quite  an  equal  price  for  it. 


XXI 

On  the  day  following.  Madonna  Porzia  sent  a major-domo 
of  hers  to  my  shop,  who  called  me  out,  and  putting  into  my 
hands  a paper  packet  full  of  money  from  his  lady,  told  me 
that  she  did  not  choose  the  devil  should  have  his  whole 

c 


34 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


laugh  out  : by  which  she  hinted  that  the  money  sent  me 
was  not  the  entire  payment  merited  by  my  industry,  and 
other  messages  were  added  worthy  of  so  courteous  a lady. 
Lucagnolo,  who  was  burning  to  compare  his  packet  with 
mine,  burst  into  the  shop  ; then  in  the  presence  of  twelve 
journeymen  and  some  neighbours,  eager  to  behold  the 
result  of  this  competition,  he  seized  his  packet,  scornfully 
exclaiming  “ Ou  ! ou  ! ” three  or  four  times,  while  he  poured 
his  money  on  the  counter  with  a great  noise.  They  were 
twenty-five  crowns  in  giulios  ; and  he  fancied  that  mine 
would  be  four  or  five  crowns  di  moneta}  I for  my  part, 
stunned  and  stifled  by  his  cries,  and  by  the  looks  and  smiles 
of  the  bystanders,  first  peeped  into  my  packet  ; then,  after 
seeing  that  it  contained  nothing  but  gold,  I retired  to  one  end 
of  the  counter,  and,  keeping  my  eyes  lowered  and  making 
no  noise  at  all,  I lifted  it  with  both  hands  suddenly  above 
my  head,  and  emptied  it  like  a mill  hopper.^  My  coin  was 
twice  as  much  as  his  ; which  caused  the  onlookers,  who  had 
fixed  their  eyes  on  me  with  some  derision,  to  turn  round 
suddenly  to  him  and  say  : “ Lucagnolo,  Benvenuto’s  pieces, 
being  all  of  gold  and  twice  as  many  as  yours,  make  a far  liner 
effect.”  I thought  for  certain  that,  what  with  jealousy  and 
what  with  shame,  Lucagnolo  would  have  fallen  dead  upon 
the  spot ; and  though  he  took  the  third  part  of  my  gain, 
since  I was  a journeyman  (for  such  is  the  custom  of  the  trade, 
two-thirds  fall  to  the  workman  and  one-third  to  the  masters 
of  the  shop),  yet  inconsiderate  envy  had  more  power  in  him 
than  avarice  : it  ought  indeed  to  have  worked  quite  the  other 
way,  he  being  a peasant’s  son  from  lesi.  He  cursed  his  art 
and  those  who  taught  it  him,  vowing  that  thenceforth  he 
would  never  work  at  large  plate,  but  give  his  whole  atten- 
tion to  those  whoreson  gewgaws,  since  they  were  so  well 
paid.  Equally  enraged  on  my  side,  I answered  that  every 
bird  sang  its  own  note  ; that  he  talked  after  the  fashion  of 
the  hovels  he  came  from;  but  that  I dared  swear  that  I should 
succeed  with  ease  in  making  his  lubberly  lumber,  while  he 


^ Scudi  di  giuli  and  saidi  di  moneta.  The  giulio  was  a silver  coin  worth 
56  Italian  centimes.  The  scudi  di  moneta  was  worth  10  giulios.  Cellini  was 
paid  in  golden  crowns,  which  had  a much  higher  value.  The  scudo  and  the 
ducato  at  this  epoch  were  reckoned  at  7 lire.,  the  lira  at  20  soldi. 

^ The  packet  was  funnel-shaped,  and  Cellini  poured  the  coins  out  from  the 
broad  end. 


BOOK  FIRST 


35 


would  never  be  successful  in  my  whoreson  gewgawsd  Thus 
I flung  off  in  a passion,  telling  him  that  I would  soon  show 
him  that  I spoke  truth.  The  bystanders  openly  declared 
against  him,  holding  him  for  a lout,  as  indeed  he  was,  and 
me  for  a man,  as  I had  proved  myself. 


XXII 

Next  day,  I went  to  thank  Madonna  Porzia,  and  told  her 
that  her  ladyship  had  done  the  opposite  of  what  she  said  she 
would  ; for  that  while  I wanted  to  make  the  devil  laugh,  she 
had  made  him  once  more  deny  God.  We  both  laughed 
pleasantly  at  this,  and  she  gave  me  other  commissions  for  fine 
and  substantial  work. 

Meanwhile,  I contrived,  by  means  of  a pupil  of  Raffaello  da 
Urbino,  to  get  an  order  from  the  Bishop  of  Salamanca  for  one 
of  those  great  water-vessels  called  acquereccia^  which  are  used 
for  ornaments  to  place  on  sideboards.  He  wanted  a pair 
made  of  equal  size  ; and  one  of  them  he  intrusted  to  Lucagnolo, 
the  other  to  me.  Giovan  Francesco,  the  painter  I have  men- 
tioned, gave  us  the  design.^  Accordingly  I set  hand  with 
marvellous  good-will  to  this  piece  of  plate,  and  was  accom- 
modated with  a part  of  his  workshop  by  a Milanese  named 
Maestro  Giovan  Piero  della  Tacca.  Having  made  my  pre- 
parations, I calculated  how  much  money  I should  need  for 
certain  affairs  of  my  own,  and  sent  all  the  rest  to  assist  my 
poor  father. 

It  so  happened  that  just  when  this  was  being  paid  to  him  in 
Florence,  he  stumbled  upon  one  of  those  Radicals  who  were 
in  the  Eight  at  the  time  when  I got  into  that  little  trouble 
there.  It  was  the  very  man  who  had  abused  him  so  rudely, 
and  who  swore  that  I should  certainly  be  sent  into  the  country 
with  the  lances.  Now  this  fellow  had  some  sons  of  very  bad 
morals  and  repute  ; wherefore  my  father  said  to  him  : “ Mis- 
fortunes can  happen  to  anybody,  especially  to  men  of  choleric 
humour  when  they  are  in  the  right,  even  as  it  happened  to  my 
son  ; but  let  the  rest  of  his  life  bear  witness  how  virtuously  I 
have  brought  him  up.  Would  God,  for  your  well-being,  that 
your  sons  may  act  neither  worse  nor  better  toward  you  than 

^ The  two  slang  phrases  translated  above  are  bordellerie  and  coglio7ierie. 

2 That  is,  II  Fattore.  See  above,  p.  30. 


36 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


mine  do  to  me.  God  rendered  me  able  to  bring  them  up  as  I 
have  done  ; and  where  my  own  power  could  not  reach,  ’twas 
He  who  rescued  them,  against  your  expectation,  out  of  your 
violent  hands.”  On  leaving  the  man,  he  wrote  me  all  this 
story,  begging  me  for  God’s  sake  to  practise  music  at  times, 
in  order  that  I might  not  lose  the  fine  accomplishment  which 
he  had  taught  me  with  such  trouble.  The  letter  so  overflowed 
with  expressions  of  the  tenderest  fatherly  affection,  that  I was 
moved  to  tears  of  filial  piety,  resolving,  before  he  died,  to 
gratify  him  amply  with  regard  to  music.  Thus  God  grants 
us  those  lawful  blessings  which  we  ask  in  prayer,  nothing 
doubting. 


XXIII 

While  I was  pushing  forward  Salamanca’s  vase,  I had  only 
one  little  boy  as  help,  whom  I had  taken  at  the  entreaty  of 
friends,  and  half  against  my  own  will,  to  be  my  workman. 
He  was  about  fourteen  years  of  age,  bore  the  name  of  Pau- 
lino, and  was  son  to  a Roman  burgess,  who  lived  upon  the 
income  of  his  property.  Paulino  was  the  best-mannered,  the 
most  honest,  and  the  most  beautiful  boy  I ever  saw  in  my 
whole  life.  His  modest  ways  and  actions,  together  with  his 
superlative  beauty  and  his  devotion  to  myself,  bred  in  me 
as  great  an  affection  for  him  as  a man’s  breast  can  hold.  This 
passionate  love  led  me  oftentimes  to  delight  the  lad  with 
music  ; for  I observed  that  his  marvellous  features,  which  by 
complexion  wore  a tone  of  modest  melancholy,  brightened 
up,  and  when  I took  my  cornet,  broke  into  a smile  so  lovely 
and  so  sweet,  that  I do  not  marvel  at  the  silly  stories  which 
the  Greeks  have  written  about  the  deities  of  heaven.  In- 
deed, if  my  boy  had  lived  in  those  times,  he  would  probably 
have  turned  their  heads  still  more.^  He  had  a sister,  named 
Faustina,  more  beautiful,  I verily  believe,  than  that  Faustina 
about  whom  the  old  books  gossip  so.  Sometimes  he  took 
me  to  their  vineyard,  and,  so  far  as  I could  judge,  it  struck 
me  that  Paulino’s  good  father  would  have  welcomed  me 
as  a son-in-law.  This  affair  led  me  to  play  more  than  I 
was  used  to  do. 

It  happened  at  that  time  that  one  Giangiacomo  of  Cesena,  a 

^ Gli  Arebhe  fatti  piii  tiscire  de'  gangheri  ; would  have  taken  them  still  more 
off  the  hinges. 


BOOK  FIRST 


37 


musician  in  the  Pope’s  band,  and  a very  excellent  performer, 
sent  word  through  Lorenzo,  the  trumpeter  of  Lucca,  who  is  now 
in  our  Duke’s  service,  to  inquire  whether  I was  inclined  to  help 
them  at  the  Pope’s  Ferragosto,  playing  soprano  with  my  cornet 
in  some  motets  of  great  beauty  selected  by  them  for  that 
occasion.^  Although  I had  the  greatest  desire  to  finish  the 
vase  I had  begun,  yet,  since  music  has  a wondrous  charm  of 
its  own,  and  also  because  I wished  to  please  my  old  father,  I 
consented  to  join  them.  During  eight  days  before  the  festival 
we  practised  two  hours  a day  together ; then  on  the  first  of 
August  we  went  to  the  Belvedere,  and  while  Pope  Clement 
was  at  table,  we  played  those  carefully  studied  motets  so  well 
that  his  Holiness  protested  he  had  never  heard  music  more 
sweetly  executed  or  with  better  harmony  of  parts.  He  sent 
for  Giangiacomo,  and  asked  him  where  and  how  he  had 
procured  so  excellent  a cornet  for  soprano,  and  inquired  par- 
ticularly who  I was.  Giangiacomo  told  him  my  name  in  full. 
Whereupon  the  Pope  said  : “ So,  then,  he  is  the  son  of  Maestro 
Giovanni?”  On  being  assured  I was,  the  Pope  expressed 
his  wish  to  have  me  in  his  service  with  the  other  bandsmen. 
Giangiacomo  replied  : “ Most  blessed  Father,  I cannot  pre- 
tend for  certain  that  you  will  get  him,  for  his  profession,  to 
which  he  devotes  himself  assiduously,  is  that  of  a gold- 
smith, and  he  works  in  it  miraculously  well,  and  earns  by 
it  far  more  than  he  could  do  by  playing.”  To  this  the  Pope 
added : “ I am  the  better  inclined  to  him  now  that  I find 
him  possessor  of  a talent  more  than  I expected.  See  that 
he  obtains  the  same  salary  as  the  rest  of  you  ; and  tell  him 
from  me  to  join  my  service,  and  that  I will  find  work  enough 
by  the  day  for  him  to  do  in  his  other  trade.”  Then  stretch- 
ing out  his  hand,  he  gave  him  a hundred  golden  crowns  of 
the  Camera  in  a handkerchief,  and  said  : ^ “ Divide  these  so 
that  he  may  take  his  share.” 

When  Giangiacomo  left  the  Pope,  he  came  to  us,  and  related 
in  detail  all  that  the  Pope  had  said  ; and  after  dividing  the 
money  between  the  eight  of  us,  and  giving  me  my  share,  he  said 
to  me  : “ Now  I am  going  to  have  you  inscribed  among  our 
company.”  I replied  : “ Let  the  day  pass  ; to-morrow  I will 
give  my  answer.”  When  I left  them,  I went  meditating 

^ The  Ferragosto  or  Ferice  Augusti  was  a festival  upon  the  first  of  August. 

^ The  Camera  Apostolica  was  the  Roman  Exchequer. 


38 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


whether  I ought  to  accept  the  invitation,  inasmuch  as  I could 
not  but  suffer  if  I abandoned  the  noble  studies  of  my  art. 
The  following  night  my  father  appeared  to  me  in  a dream, 
and  begged  me  with  tears  of  tenderest  affection,  for  God's  love 
and  his,  to  enter  upon  this  engagement.  Methought  I answered 
that  nothing  would  induce  me  to  do  so.  In  an  instant  he  as- 
sumed so  horrible  an  aspect  as  to  frighten  me  out  of  my  wits, 
and  cried  : “If  you  do  not,  you  will  have  a father’s  curse  ; but 
if  you  do,  may  you  be  ever  blessed  by  me  ! ” When  I woke, 
I ran,  for  very  fright,  to  have  myself  inscribed.  Then  I wrote 
to  my  old  father,  telling  him  the  news,  which  so  affected  him 
with  extreme  joy  that  a sudden  lit  of  illness  took  him,  and 
well-nigh  brought  him  to  death’s  door.  In  his  answer  to 
my  letter,  he  told  me  that  he  too  had  dreamed  nearly  the 
same  as  I had. 


XXIV 

Knowing  now  that  I had  gratified  my  father’s  honest  wish, 
I began  to  think  that  everything  would  prosper  with  me  to  a 
glorious  and  honourable  end.  Accordingly,  I set  myself  with 
indefatigable  industry  to  the  completion  of  the  vase  I had 
begun  for  Salamanca.  That  prelate  was  a very  extraordinary 
man,  extremely  rich,  but  difficult  to  please.  He  sent  daily  to 
learn  what  I was  doing  ; and  when  his  messenger  did  not  find 
me  at  home,  he  broke  into  fury,  saying  that  he  would  take  the 
work  out  of  my  hands  and  give  it  to  others  to  finish.  This 
came  of  my  slavery  to  that  accursed  music.  Still  I laboured 
diligently  night  and  day,  until,  when  I had  brought  my  work 
to  a point  when  it  could  be  exhibited,  I submitted  it  to  the  in- 
spection of  the  Bishop.  This  so  increased  his  desire  to  see  it 
finished,  that  I was  sorry  I had  shown  it.  At  the  end  of  three 
months  I had  it  ready,  with  little  animals  and  foliage  and 
masks,  as  beautiful  as  one  could  hope  to  see.  No  sooner  was 
it  done  than  I sent  it  by  the  hand  of  my  workman,  Paulino, 
to  show  that  able  artist  Lucagnolo,  of  whom  I have  spoken 
above.  Paulino,  with  the  grace  and  beauty  which  belonged 
to  him,  spoke  as  follows : “ Messer  Lucagnolo,  Benvenuto 
bids  me  say  that  he  has  sent  to  show  you  his  promises  and 
your  lumber,  expecting  in  return  to  see  from  you  his  gew- 
gaws.” This  message  given,  Lucagnolo  took  up  the  vase,  and 
carefully  examined  it ; then  he  said  to  Paulino  : “ Fair  boy. 


BOOK  FIRST 


39 


tell  your  master  that  he  is  a great  and  able  artist,  and  that  I 
beg  him  to  be  willing  to  have  me  for  a Jriend,  and  not  to 
engage  in  aught  else.”  The  mission  of  that  virtuous  and 
mar\^ellous  lad  caused  me  the  greatest  joy  ; and  then  the  vase 
was  carried  to  Salamanca,  who  ordered  it  to  be  valued, 
Lucagnolo  took  part  in  the  valuation,  estimating  and  praising 
it  far  above  my  own  opinion.  Salamanca,  lifting  up  the  vase, 
cried  like  a true  Spaniard  : “I  swear  by  God  that  I will  take 
as  long  in  paying  him  as  he  has  lagged  in  making  it.”  When 
I heard  this,  I was  exceedingly  put  out,  and  fell  to  cursing  all 
Spain  and  every  one  who  washed  well  to  it 
Amongst  other  beautiful  ornaments,  this  vase  had  a handle, 
made  all  of  one  piece,  with  most  delicate  mechanism,  which, 
when  a spring  was  touched,  stood  upright  above  the  mouth  of 
it.  While  the  prelate  was  one  day  ostentatiously  exhibiting 
my  vase  to  certain  Spanish  gentlemen  of  his  suite,  it  chanced 
that  one  of  them,  upon  Monsignor’s  quitting  the  room,  began 
roughly  to  work  the  handle,  and  as  the  gentle  spring  which 
moved  it  could  not  bear  his  loutish  violence,  it  broke  in  his 
hand.  Aware  what  mischief  he  had  done,  he  begged  the 
butler  who  had  charge  of  the  Bishop’s  plate  to  take  it  to  the 
master  who  had  made  it,  for  him  to  mend,  and  promised  to 
pay  what  price  he  asked,  provided  it  was  set  to  rights  at  once. 
So  the  vase  came  once  more  into  my  hands,  and  I promised  to 
put  it  forthwith  in  order,  which  indeed  I did.  It  was  brought 
to  me  before  dinner  ; and  at  twenty-two  o’clock  the  man  who 
brought  it  returned,  all  in  a sweat,  for  he  had  run  the  whole 
way.  Monsignor  having  again  asked  for  it  to  show  to  certain 
other  gentlemen.^  The  butler,  then,  without  giving  me  time 
to  utter  a word,  cried  : “ Quick,  quick,  bring  the  vase.”  I, 
who  wanted  to  act  at  leisure  and  not  to  give  it  up  to  him,  said 
that  I did  not  mean  to  be  so  quick.  The  serving-man  got 
into  such  a rage  that  he  made  as  though  he  would  put  one 
hand  to  his  sword,  while  with  the  other  he  threatened  to 
break  the  shop  open.  To  this  I put  a stop  at  once  with  my 
own  weapon,  using  therewith  spirited  language,  and  saying : 
“ I am  not  going  to  give  it  to  you  ! Go  and  tell  Monsignor, 

^ The  Italians  reckoned  time  from  sundown  till  sundown,  counting  twenty- 
four  hours.  Twenty-two  o’clock  was  therefore  two  hours  before  nightfall. 
One  hour  of  the  night  was  one  hour  after  nightfall,  and  so  forth.  By  this 
system  of  reckoning,  it  is  clear  that  the  hours  varied  with  the  season  of  the 
year ; and  unless  we  know  the  exact  month  in  which  an  event  took  place,  we 
cannot  translate  any  hour  into  terms  of  our  own  system. 


40 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


your  master,  that  I want  the  money  for  my  work  before  I let 
it  leave  this  shop.”  When  the  fellow  saw  he  could  not  obtain 
it  by  swaggering,  he  fell  to  praying  me,  as  one  prays  to  the 
Cross,  declaring  that  if  I would  only  give  it  up,  he  would 
take  care  I should  be  paid.  These  words  did  not  make  me 
swerve  from  my  purpose  ; but  I kept  on  saying  the  same 
thing.  At  last,  despairing  of  success,  he  swore  to  come  with 
Spaniards  enough  to  cut  me  in  pieces.  Then  he  took  to  his 
heels ; while  I,  who  inclined  to  believe  partly  in  their  murderous 
attack,  resolved  that  I would  defend  myself  with  courage. 
So  I got  an  admirable  little  gun  ready,  which  I used  for  shoot- 
ing game,  and  muttered  to  myself  ; He  who  robs  me  of  my 
property  and  labour  may  take  my  life  too,  and  welcome.” 
While  I was  carrying  on  this  debate  in  my  own  mind,  a crowd 
of  Spaniards  arrived,  led  by  their  major-domo,  who,  with  the 
headstrong  rashness  of  his  race,  bade  them  go  in  and  take  the 
vase  and  give  me  a good  beating.  Hearing  these  words,  I 
showed  them  the  muzzle  of  my  gun,  and  prepared  to  fire,  and 
cried  in  a loud  voice  : “Renegade  Jews,  traitors,  is  it  thus  that 
one  breaks  into  houses  and  shops  in  our  city  of  Rome  ? Come 
as  many  of  you  thieves  as  like,  an  inch  nearer  to  this  wicket, 
and  ril  blow  all  their  brains  out  with  my  gun.”  Then  I turned 
the  muzzle  toward  their  major-domo,  and  making  as  though 
I would  discharge  it,  called  out  : “ And  you  big  thief,  who  are 
egging  them  on,  I mean  to  kill  you  first.”  He  clapped  spurs 
to  the  jennet  he  was  riding,  and  took  flight  headlong.  The 
commotion  we  were  making  stirred  up  all  the  neighbours, 
who  came  crowding  round,  together  with  some  Roman  gentle- 
men who  chanced  to  pass,  and  cried : “ Do  but  kill  the 
renegades,  and  we  will  stand  by  you.”  These  words  had  the 
effect  of  frightening  the  Spaniards  in  good  earnest.  They 
withdrew,  and  were  compelled  by  the  circumstances  to  relate 
the  whole  affair  to  Monsignor.  Being  a man  of  inordinate 
haughtiness,  he  rated  the  members  of  his  household,  both 
because  they  had  engaged  in  such  an  act  of  violence,  and  also 
because,  having  begun,  they  had  not  gone  through  with  it. 
At  this  juncture  the  painter,  who  had  been  concerned  in  the 
whole  matter,  came  in,  and  the  Bishop  bade  him  go  and  tell 
me  that  if  I did  not  bring  the  vase  at  once,  he  would  make 
mincemeat  of  me  ; ^ but  if  I brought  it,  he  would  pay  its  price 

^ Lit.  “ the  largest  piece  left  of  me  should  be  my  ears.’ 


BOOK  FIRST 


41 


down.  These  threats  were  so  far  from  terrifying  me,  that  I 
sent  him  word  I was  going  immediately  to  lay  my  case  before 
the  Pope. 

In  the  meantime,  his  anger  and  my  fear  subsided  ; where- 
upon, being  guaranteed  by  some  Roman  noblemen  of  high 
degree  that  the  prelate  would  not  harm  me,  and  having  assur- 
ance that  I should  be  paid,  I armed  myself  with  a large  poniard 
and  my  good  coat  of  mail,  and  betook  myself  to  his  palace, 
where  he  had  drawn  up  all  his  household.  I entered,  and 
Paulino  followed  with  the  silver  vase.  It  was  just  like  passing 
through  the  Zodiac,  neither  more  nor  less  ; for  one  of  them 
had  the  face  of  the  lion,  another  of  the  scorpion,  a third  of 
the  crab.  However,  we  passed  onward  to  the  presence  of 
the  rascally  priest,  who  spouted  out  a torrent  of  such  language 
as  only  priests  and  Spaniards  have  at  their  command.  In  return 
I never  raised  my  eyes  to  look  at  him,  nor  answered  word  for 
word.  That  seemed  to  augment  the  fury  of  his  anger  ; and 
causing  paper  to  be  put  before  me,  he  commanded  me  to 
write  an  acknowledgment  to  the  effect  that  I had  been  amply 
satisfied  and  paid  in  full.  Then  I raised  my  head,  and  said  I 
should  be  very  glad  to  do  so  when  I had  received  the  money. 
The  Bishop’s  rage  continued  to  rise  ; threats  and  recrimina- 
tions were  flimg  about ; but  at  last  the  money  was  paid,  and 
I wrote  the  receipt.  Then  I departed,  glad  at  heart  and  in 
high  spirits. 

XXV 

When  Pope  Clement  heard  the  story-~™he  had  seen  the  vase 
before,  but  it  was  not  shown  him  as  my  work-^-he  expressed 
much  pleasure  and  spoke  warmly  in  my  praise,  publicly  saying 
that  he  felt  very  favourably  toward  me.  This  caused  Monsignor 
Salamanca  to  repent  that  he  had  hectored  over  me  ; and  in 
order  to  make  up  our  quarrel,  he  sent  the  same  painter  to 
inform  me  that  he  meant  to  give  me  large  commissions.  I 
replied  that  I was  willing  to  undertake  them,  but  that  I should 
require  to  be  paid  in  advance.  This  speech  too  came  to  Pope 
Clement’s  ears,  and  made  him  laugh  heartily.  Cardinal  Cibo 
was  in  the  presence,  and  the  Pope  narrated  to  him  the  whole 
history  of  my  dispute  with  the  Bishop.^  Then  he  turned  to 

^ Innocenzio  Cibo  Malaspina,  Archbishop  of  Genoa,  and  nephew  of  Lorenzo  de’ 
Medici.  He  was  a prelate  of  vast  wealth  and  a great  patron  of  arts  and  letters 


42 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


one  of  his  people,  and  ordered  him  to  go  on  supplying  me 
with  work  for  the  palace.  Cardinal  Cibo  sent  for  me,  and 
after  some  time  spent  in  agreeable  conversation,  gave  me  the 
order  for  a large  vase,  bigger  than  Salamanca’s.  I likewise 
obtained  commissions  from  Cardinal  Cornaro,  and  many 
others  of  the  Holy  College,  especially  Ridolfi  and  Salviati  ; 
they  all  kept  me  well  employed,  so  that  I earned  plenty  of 
money.i 

Madonna  Porzia  now  advised  me  to  open  a shop  of  my 
own.  This  I did  ; and  I never  stopped  working  for  that 
excellent  and  gentle  lady,  who  paid  me  exceedingly  well, 
and  b3^  whose  means  perhaps  it  was  that  I came  to  make  a 
figure  in  the  world. 

I contracted  close  friendship  with  Signor  Gabbriello  Ceserino, 
at  that  time  Gonfalonier  of  Rome,  and  executed  many  pieces 
for  him.  One,  among  the  rest,  is  worthy  of  mention.  It  was 
a large  golden  medal  to  wear  in  the  hat.  I engraved  upon  it 
Leda  with  her  swan  ; and  being  very  well  pleased  with  the 
workmanship,  he  said  he  should  like  to  have  it  valued,  in  order 
that  I might  be  properly  paid.  Now,  since  the  medal  was 
executed  with  consummate  skill,  the  valuers  of  the  trade  set  a 
far  higher  price  on  it  than  he  had  thought  of.  I therefore 
kept  the  medal,  and  got  nothing  for  my  pains.  The  same  sort 
of  adventures  happened  in  this  case  as  in  that  of  Salamanca’s 
vase.  But  I shall  pass  such  matters  briefly  by,  lest  they  hinder 
me  from  telling  things  of  greater  importance. 


XXVI 

Since  I am  writing  my  life,  I must  from  time  to  time  diverge 
from  my  profession  in  order  to  describe  with  brevity,  if  not  in 
detail,  some  incidents  which  have  no  bearing  on  my  career  as 
artist.  On  the  morning  of  Saint  John’s  Day  I happened  to 
be  dining  with  several  men  of  our  nation,  painters,  sculptors, 
goldsmiths,  amongst  the  most  notable  of  whom  was  Rosso  and 
Gianfrancesco,  the  pupil  of  Raffaello.^  I had  invited  them 

^ Marco  Cornaro  was  a brother  of  Caterina,  the  Queen  of  Cyprus.  He 
obtained  the  hat  in  1492.  Niccolo  Ridolfi  was  a nephew  of  Leo  X.  Giovanni 
Salviati,  the  son  of  Jacopo  mentioned  above,  p.  10,  was  also  a nephew  ol 
Leo  X.,  who  gave  him  the  hat  in  1517. 

2 St.  John’s  Day  was  the  great  Florentine  Festival,  on  which  all  the  Guilds 
went  in  procession  with  pageants  through  the  city.  Of  the  Florentine  painter. 


BOOK  FIRST 


43 


without  restraint  or  ceremony  to  the  place  of  our  meeting  ; 
and  they  were  ail  laughing  and  joking,  as  is  natural  when  a 
crowd  of  men  come  together  to  make  merry  on  so  great  a 
festival.  It  chanced  that  a light-brained  swaggering  young 
fellow  passed  by ; he  was  a soldier  of  Rienzo  da  Ceri,  who, 
when  he  heard  the  noise  that  we  were  making,  gave  vent  to 
a string  of  opprobrious  sarcasms  upon  the  folk  of  Florence.^ 
I,  who  was  the  host  of  those  great  artists  and  men  of  worth, 
taking  the  insult  to  myself,  slipped  out  quietly  without  being 
observed,  and  went  up  to  him.  I ought  to  say  that  he  had  a 
punk  of  his  there,  and  was  going  on  with  his  stupid  ribaldries 
to  amuse  her.  When  I met  him,  I asked  if  he  was  the  rash 
fellow  who  was  speaking  evil  of  the  Florentines.  He  answered 
at  once  : “ I am  that  man.”  On  this  I raised  my  hand,  struck 
him  in  the  face,  and  said  : “ And  I am  this  man.”  Then  we 
each  of  us  drew  our  swords  with  spirit ; but  the  fray  had 
hardly  begun  when  a crowd  of  persons  intervened,  who 
rather  took  my  part  than  not,  hearing  and  seeing  that  I was 
in  the  right. 

On  the  following  day  a challenge  to  fight  with  him  was 
brought  me,  which  I accepted  very  gladly,  saying  that  I 
expected  to  complete  this  job  far  quicker  than  those  of  the 
other  art  I practised.  So  I went  at  once  to  confer  with  a fine 
old  man  called  Bevilacqua,  who  was  reputed  to  have  been 
the  first  sword  of  Italy,  because  he  had  fought  more  than 
twenty  serious  duels  and  had  always  come  off  with  honour. 
This  excellent  man  was  a great  friend  of  mine  ; he  knew  me 
as  an  artist,  and  had  also  been  concerned  as  intermediary  in 
certain  ugly  quarrels  between  me  and  others.  Accordingly, 
when  he  had  learned  my  business,  he  answered  with  a smile  : 
“My  Benvenuto,  if  you  had  an  affair  with  Mars,  I am  sure 
you  would  come  out  with  honour,  because  through  all  the 
years  that  I have  known  you,  I have  never  seen  you  wrong- 
fully take  up  a quarrel.”  So  he  consented  to  be  my  second, 
and  we  repaired  with  sword  in  hand  to  the  appointed  place  ; 
but  no  blood  was  shed,  for  my  opponent  made  the  matter  up, 

II  Rosso,  or  Maitre  Roux,  this  is  the  first  mention  by  Cellini.  He  went  to 
France  in  1 534,  and  died  an  obscure  death  there  in  1541. 

^ This  Rienzo,  Renzo,  or  Lorenzo  da  Ceri,  was  a captain  of  adventurers  or 
Condottiere,  who  hired  his  mercenary  forces  to  paymasters.  He  defended 
Crema  for  the  Venetians  in  1514,  and  conquered  Urbino  for  the  Pope  in  1515. 
Afterwards  he  fought  for  the  French  in  the  Italian  wars.  We  shall  hear  more 
of  him  again  during  the  sack  of  Rome. 


44 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


and  I came  with  much  credit  out  of  the  affaird  I will  not  add 
further  particulars  ; for  though  they  would  be  very  interesting 
in  their  own  way,  I wish  to  keep  both  space  and  words  for 
my  art,  which  has  been  my  chief  inducement  to  write  as  I am 
doing,  and  about  which  I shall  have  only  too  much  to  say. 

The  spirit  of  honourable  rivalry  impelled  me  to  attempt 
some  other  masterpiece,  which  should  equal,  or  even  surpass, 
the  productions  of  that  able  craftsman,  Lucagnolo,  whom  I 
have  mentioned.  Still  I did  not  on  this  account  neglect  my 
own  fine  art  of  jewellery  ; and  so  both  the  one  and  the  other 
wrought  me  much  profit  and  more  credit,  and  in  both  of  them 
I continued  to  produce  things  of  marked  originality.  There 
was  at  that  time  in  Rome  a very  able  artist  of  Perugia  named 
Lautizio,  who  worked  only  in  one  department,  where  he  was 
sole  and  unrivalled  throughout  the  world.^  You  must  know 
that  at  Rome  every  cardinal  has  a seal,  upon  which  his  title  is 
engraved,  and  these  seals  are  made  just  as  large  as  a child^s 
hand  of  about  twelve  years  of  age  ; and,  as  I have  already 
said,  the  cardinabs  title  is  engraved  upon  the  seal  together 
with  a great  many  ornamental  figures.  A well-made  article  of 
the  kind  fetches  a hundred,  or  more  than  a hundred  crowns. 
This  excellent  workman,  like  Lucagnolo,  roused  in  me  some 
honest  rivalry,  although  the  art  he  practised  is  far  remote 
from  the  other  branches  of  gold-smithery,  and  consequently 
Lautizio  was  not  skilled  in  making  anything  but  seals.  I gave 
my  mind  to  acquiring  his  craft  also,  although  I found  it  very 
difficult ; and,  unrepelled  by  the  trouble  which  it  gave  me,  I 
went  on  zealously  upon  the  path  of  profit  and  improvement. 

There  was  in  Rome  another  most  excellent  craftsman  of 
ability,  who  was  a Milanese  named  Messer  Caradosso.^  He 
dealt  in  nothing  but  little  chiselled  medals,  made  of  plates  of 
metal,  and  such-like  things.  I have  seen  of  his  some  paxes 
in  half  relief,  and  some  Christs  a palm  in  length  wrought  of 
the  thinnest  golden  plates,  so  exquisitely  done  that  I esteemed 


^ The  Italian,  restando  dal  mio  avversario,  seems  to  mean  that  Cellini’s 
opponent  proposed  an  accommodation,  apologised,  or  stayed  the  duel  at  a 
certain  point. 

2 See  Cellini’s  Treatise  07'eficeria^  cap.  vi.,  for  more  particulars  about  this 
artist. 

^ His  real  name  was  Ambrogio  Foppa.  The  nickname  Caradosso  is  said 
to  have  stuck  to  him  in  consequence  of  a Spaniard  calling  him  Bear’s-face  in 
his  own  tongue.  He  struck  Leo  X.’s  coins ; and  we  possess  some  excellent 
medallion  portraits  by  his  hand. 


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45 


him  the  greatest  master  in  that  kind  I had  ever  seen,  and 
envied  him  more  than  all  the  rest  together.  There  were  also 
other  masters  who  worked  at  medals  carved  in  steel,  which 
may  be  called  the  models  and  true  guides  for  those  who  aim 
at  striking  coins  in  the  most  perfect  style.  All  these  divers 
arts  I set  myself  with  unflagging  industry  to  learn. 

I must  not  omit  the  exquisite  art  of  enamelling,  in  which 
I have  never  known  any  one  excel  save  a Florentine,  our 
countryman,  called  Amerigo.^  I did  not  know  him,  but  was 
well  acquainted  with  his  incomparable  masterpieces.  No- 
thing in  any  part  of  the  world  or  by  any  craftsman  that  I have 
seen,  approached  the  divine  beauty  of  their  workmanship. 
To  this  branch  too  I devoted  myself  with  all  my  strength, 
although  it  is  extremely  difficult,  chiefly  because  of  the  fire, 
which,  after  long  time  and  trouble  spent  in  other  processes, 
has  to  be  applied  at  last,  and  not  unfrequently  brings  the 
whole  to  ruin.  In  spite  of  its  great  difficulties,  it  gave  me 
so  much  pleasure  that  I looked  upon  them  as  recreation; 
and  this  came  from  the  special  gift  which  the  God  of  nature 
bestowed  on  me,  that  is  to  say,  a temperament  so  happy  and 
of  such  excellent  parts  that  I was  freely  able  to  accomplish 
whatever  it  pleased  me  to  take  in  hand.  The  various  de- 
partments of  art  which  I have  described  are  very  different 
one  from  the  other,  so  that  a man  who  excels  in  one  of 
them,  if  he  undertakes  the  others,  hardly  ever  achieves  the 
same  success  ; whereas  I strove  with  all  my  power  to  become 
equally  versed  in  all  of  them  : and  in  the  proper  place  I 
shall  demonstrate  that  I attained  my  object 


XXVII 

At  that  time,  while  I was  still  a young  man  of  about 
twenty-three,  there  raged  a plague  of  such  extraordinary 
violence  that  many  thousands  died  of  it  every  day  in  Rome. 
Somewhat  terrified  at  this  calamity,  I began  to  take  certain 
amusements,  as  my  mind  suggested,  and  for  a reason  which 
I will  presently  relate.  I had  formed  a habit  of  going  on 
feast-days  to  the  ancient  buildings,  and  copying  parts  of  them 
in  wax  or  with  the  pencil  ; and  since  these  buildings  are  all 


^ For  him,  consult  Cellini’s  Oreficeria. 


46 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


ruins,  and  the  ruins  house  innumerable  pigeons,  it  came  into 
my  head  to  use  my  gun  against  these  birds.  So  then,  avoiding 
all  commerce  with  people,  in  my  terror  of  the  plague,  I used 
to  put  a fowling-piece  on  my  boy  Pagolino’s  shoulder,  and 
he  and  I went  out  alone  into  the  ruins  ; and  oftentimes  we 
came  home  laden  with  a cargo  of  the  fattest  pigeons.  I did 
not  care  to  charge  my  gun  with  more  than  a single  ball ; and 
thus  it  was  by  pure  skill  in  the  art  that  I filled  such  heavy  bags. 
I had  a fowling-piece  which  I had  made  myself  ; inside  and 
out  it  was  as  bright  as  any  mirror.  I also  used  to  make  a very 
fine  sort  of  powder,  in  doing  which  I discovered  secret  pro- 
cesses, beyond  any  which  have  yet  been  found  ; and  on  this 
point,  in  order  to  be  brief,  I will  give  but  one  particular,  which 
will  astonish  good  shots  of  every  degree.  This  is,  that  when 
I charged  my  gun  with  powder  weighing  one-fifth  of  the  ball, 
it  carried  two  hundred  paces  point-blank.  It  is  true  that  the 
great  delight  I took  in  this  exercise  bid  fair  to  withdraw  me 
from  my  art  and  studies  ; yet  in  another  way  it  gave  me  more 
than  it  deprived  me  of,  seeing  that  each  time  I went  out  shoot- 
ing I returned  with  greatly  better  health,  because  the  open  air 
was  a benefit  to  my  constitution.  My  natural  temperament  was 
melancholy,  and  while  I was  taking  these  amusements,  my 
heart  leapt  up  with  joy,  and  I found  that  I could  work  better 
and  with  far  greater  mastery  than  when  I spent  my  whole 
time  in  study  and  manual  labour.  In  this  way  my  gun,  at 
the  end  of  the  game,  stood  me  more  in  profit  than  in  loss. 

It  was  also  the  cause  of  my  making  acquaintance  with 
certain  hunters  after  curiosities,  who  followed  in  the  track  ^ 
of  those  Lombard  peasants  who  used  to  come  to  Rome  to 
till  the  vineyards  at  the  proper  season.  While  digging  the 
ground,  they  frequently  turned  up  antique  medals,  agates, 
chrysoprases,  cornelians,  and  cameos  ; also  sometimes  jewels, 
as,  for  instance,  emeralds,  sapphires,  diamonds,  and  rubies. 
The  peasants  used  to  sell  things  of  this  sort  to  the  traders 
for  a mere  trifle  ; and  I very  often,  when  I met  them,  paid 
the  latter  several  times  as  many  golden  crowns  as  they  had 
given  giulios  for  some  object.  Independently  of  the  profit 
I made  by  this  traffic,  which  was  at  least  tenfold,  it  brought 
me  also  into  agreeable  relations  with  nearly  all  the  cardinals 
of  Rome.  I will  only  touch  upon  a few  of  the  most  notable 


^ Stavano  alle  velette.  Perhaps  lay  in  wait  for. 


BOOK  FIRST 


47 


and  rarest  of  these  curiosities.  There  came  into  my  hands, 
among  many  other  fragments,  the  head  of  a dolphin  about  as 
big  as  a good-sized  ballot-bean.  Not  only  was  the  style  of  this 
head  extremely  beautiful,  but  nature  had  here  far  surpassed 
art  ; for  the  stone  was  an  emerald  of  such  good  colour,  that 
the  man  who  bought  it  from  me  for  tens  of  crowns  sold  it 
again  for  hundreds  after  setting  it  as  a finger-ring.  I will 
mention  another  kind  of  gem  ; this  was  a magnificent  topaz  ; 
and  here  art  equalled  nature  ; it  was  as  large  as  a big  hazel-nut, 
with  the  head  of  Minerva  in  a style  of  inconceivable  beauty. 
I remember  yet  another  precious  stone,  different  from  these  ; 
it  was  a cameo,  engraved  with  Hercules  binding  Cerberus 
of  the  triple  throat ; such  was  its  beauty  and  the  skill  of  its 
workmanship,  that  our  great  Michel  Agnolo  protested  he  had 
never  seen  anything  so  wonderful.  Among  many  bronze 
medals,  I obtained  one  upon  which  was  a head  of  Jupiter.  It 
was  the  largest  that  had  ever  been  seen  ; the  head  of  the  most 
perfect  execution  ; and  it  had  on  the  reverse  side  a very  fine 
design  of  some  little  figures  in  the  same  style.  I might  enlarge 
at  great  length  on  this  curiosity ; but  I will  refrain  for  fear 
of  being  prolix. 


XXVIII 

As  I have  said  above,  the  plague  had  broken  out  in  Rome  ; 
but  though  I must  return  a little  way  upon  my  steps,  I shall 
not  therefore  abandon  the  main  path  of  my  history.  There 
arrived  in  Rome  a surgeon  of  the  highest  renown,  who  was 
called  Maestro  Giacomo  da  Carpi. ^ This  able  man,  in  the 
course  of  his  other  practice,  undertook  the  most  desperate 
cases  of  the  so-called  French  disease.  In  Rome  this  kind  of 
illness  is  very  partial  to  the  priests,  and  especially  to  the 
richest  of  them.  When,  therefore.  Maestro  Giacomo  had 
made  his  talents  known,  he  professed  to  work  miracles  in  the 
treatment  of  such  cases  by  means  of  certain  fumigations  ; but 
he  only  undertook  a cure  after  stipulating  for  his  fees,  which 
he  reckoned  not  by  tens,  but  by  hundreds  of  crowns.  He  was 
a great  connoisseur  in  the  arts  of  design.  Chancing  to  pass 

^ Giacomo  Berengario  da  Carpi  was,  in  fact,  a great  physician,  surgeon,  and 
student  of  anatomy.  He  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  to  use  mercury  in  the 
cure  of  syphilis,  a disease  which  was  devastating  Italy  after  the  year  1495. 
He  amassed  a large  fortune,  which,  when  he  died  at  Ferrara  about  1530  he 
bequeathed  to  the  Duke  there. 


48 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


one  day  before  my  shop,  he  saw  a lot  of  drawings  which  I had 
laid  upon  the  counter,  and  among  these  were  several  designs 
for  little  vases  in  a capricious  style,  which  I had  sketched  for 
my  amusement.  These  vases  were  in  quite  a different  fashion 
from  any  which  had  been  seen  up  to  that  date.  He  was 
anxious  that  I should  finish  one  or  two  of  them  for  him  in 
silver  ; and  this  I did  with  the  fullest  satisfaction,  seeing  they 
exactly  suited  my  own  fancy.  The  clever  surgeon  paid  me 
very  well,  and  yet  the  honour  which  the  vases  brought  me  was 
worth  a hundred  times  as  much  ; for  the  best  craftsmen  in  the 
goldsmith's  trade  declared  they  had  never  seen  anything  more 
beautiful  or  better  executed. 

No  sooner  had  I finished  them  than  he  showed  them  to  the 
Pope  ; and  the  next  day  following  he  betook  himself  away 
from  Rome.  He  was  a man  of  much  learning,  who  used  to 
discourse  wonderfully  about  medicine.  The  Pope  would  fain 
have  had  him  in  his  service,  but  he  replied  that  he  would  not 
take  service  with  anybody  in  the  world,  and  that  whoso  had 
need  of  him  might  come  to  seek  him  out.  He  was  a person 
of  great  sagacity,  and  did  wisely  to  get  out  of  Rome  ; for  not 
many  months  afterwards,  all  the  patients  he  had  treated  grew 
so  ill  that  they  were  a hundred  times  worse  off  than  before 
he  came.  He  would  certainly  have  been  murdered  if  he 
had  stopped.  Lie  showed  my  little  vases  to  several  persons 
of  quality  ; amongst  others,  to  the  most  excellent  Duke  of 
Ferrara,  and  pretended  that  he  had  got  them  from  a great  lord 
in  Rome,  by  telling  this  nobleman  that  if  he  wanted  to  be 
cured,  he  must  give  him  those  two  vases  ; and  that  the  lord 
had  answered  that  they  were  antique,  and  besought  him  to  ask 
for  anything  else  which  it  might  be  convenient  for  him  to  give, 
provided  only  he  would  leave  him  those  ; but,  according  to 
his  own  account.  Maestro  Giacomo  made  as  though  he  would 
not  undertake  the  cure,  and  so  he  got  them. 

I was  told  this  by  Messer  Alberto  Bendedio  in  Ferrara,  who 
with  great  ostentation  showed  me  some  earthenware  copies 
he  possessed  of  them.^  Thereupon  I laughed,  and  as  I said 
nothing,  Messer  Alberto  Bendedio,  who  was  a haughty  man, 
flew  into  a rage  and  said  : “You  are  laughing  at  them,  are 
you  ? And  I tell  you  that  during  the  last  thousand  years 

^ See  below,  Book  II.  Chap,  viii,,  for  a full  account  of  this  incident  at 
F errara. 


Coffer  in  Gold,  Silver,  and  Toktuise-sheli 


Palazzo  Balbiy  Genoa. 


liiE  Cellini  Ewer,  Mounted  in 
Enamelled  Gold,  and  Set  with  Gems. 
Collection  of  A.  J.  Bcrcsford-l  fopc,  M.P. 


Antique  Ganymede 
Restored  by  Cellini. 
Uf/izi,  Floi-encc. 


I 


I 


1 


i"  i. 


. ^ ; it 

,j'- , , 

. JKm^ 


BOOK  FIRST 


49 


there  has  not  been  born  a man  capable  of  so  much  as  copying 
them/^  I then,  not  caring  to  deprive  them  of  so  eminent  a 
reputation,  kept  silence,  and  admired  them  with  mute  stupe- 
faction. It  was  said  to  me  in  Rome  by  many  great  lords, 
some  of  whom  were  my  friends,  that  the  work  of  which  I 
have  been  speaking  was,  in  their  opinion,  of  marvellous  ex- 
cellence and  genuine  antiquity  ; whereupon,  emboldened  by 
their  praises,  I revealed  that  I had  made  them.  As  they 
would  not  believe  it,  and  as  I wished  to  prove  that  I had 
spoken  truth,  I was  obliged  to  bring  evidence  and  to  make 
new  drawings  of  the  vases  ; for  my  word  alone  was  not 
enough,  inasmuch  as  Maestro  Giacomo  had  cunningly  insisted 
upon  carrying  off  the  old  drawings  with  him.  By  this  little 
job  I earned  a fair  amount  of  money. 


XXIX 

The  plague  went  dragging  on  for  many  months,  but  I had 
as  yet  managed  to  keep  it  at  bay ; for  though  several  of  my 
comrades  were  dead,  I survived  in  health  and  freedom.  Now 
it  chanced  one  evening  that  an  intimate  comrade  of  mine 
brought  home  to  supper  a Bolognese  prostitute  named 
Faustina.  She  was  a very  fine  woman,  but  about  thirty 
years  of  age  ; and  she  had  with  her  a little  serving-girl  of 
thirteen  or  fourteen.  Faustina  belonging  to  my  friend,  I 
would  not  have  touched  her  for  all  the  gold  in  the  world  ; 
and  though  she  declared  she  was  madly  in  love  with  me,  I 
remained  steadfast  in  my  loyalty.  But  after  they  had  gone 
to  bed,  I stole  away  the  little  serving-girl,  who  was  quite  a 
fresh  maid,  and  woe  to  her  if  her  mistress  had  known  of  it ! 
The  result  was  that  I enjoyed  a very  pleasant  night,  far  more 
to  my  satisfaction  than  if  I had  passed  it  with  Faustina.  I 
rose  upon  the  hour  of  breaking  fast,  and  felt  tired,  for  I had 
travelled  many  miles  that  night,  and  was  wanting  to  take  food, 
when  a crushing  headache  seized  me  ; several  boils  appeared 
on  my  left  arm,  together  with  a carbuncle  which  showed  itself 
just  beyond  the  palm  of  the  left  hand  where  it  joins  the  wrist. 
Everybody  in  the  house  was  in  a panic  ; my  friend,  the  cow 
and  the  calf,  all  fled.  Left  alone  there  with  my  poor  little 
prentice,  who  refused  to  abandon  me,  I felt  stifled  at  the 
heart,  and  made  up  my  mind  for  certain  I was  a dead  man. 


50 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


Just  then  the  father  of  the  lad  went  by,  who  was  physician 
to  the  Cardinal  lacoacci,^  and  lived  as  member  of  that  pre- 
late’s household.^  The  boy  called  out : “ Come,  father,  and 
see  Benvenuto  ; he  is  in  bed  with  some  trifling  indisposition.” 
Without  thinking  what  my  complaint  might  be,  the  doctor 
came  up  at  once,  and  when  he  had  felt  my  pulse,  he  saw  and 
felt  what  was  very  contrary  to  his  own  wishes.  T urning  round 
to  his  son,  he  said  : “ O traitor  of  a child,  you’ve  ruined  me  ; 
how  can  I venture  now  into  the  Cardinal’s  presence  ? ” His 
son  made  answer  ; “ Why,  father,  this  man  my  master  is  worth 
far  more  than  all  the  cardinals  in  Rome.”  Then  the  doctor 
turned  to  me  and  said  : “ Since  I am  here,  I will  consent  to 
treat  you.  But  of  one  thing  only  I warn  you,  that  if  you  have 
enjoyed  a woman,  you  are  doomed.”  To  this  I replied  : “ I 
did  so  this  very  night.”  He  answered  : “With  whom,  and  to 
what  extent? I said  : “Last  night,  and  with  a girl  in  her 
earliest  maturity.”  Upon  this,  perceiving  that  he  had  spoken 
foolishly,  he  made  haste  to  add  : “ Well,  considering  the  sores 
are  so  new,  and  have  not  yet  begun  to  stink,  and  that  the 
remedies  will  be  taken  in  time,  you  need  not  be  too  much 
afraid,  for  I have  good  hopes  of  curing  you.”  When  he  had 
prescribed  for  me  and  gone  away,  a very  dear  friend  of  mine, 
called  Giovanni  Rigogli,  came  in,  who  fell  to  commiserating 
my  great  suffering  and  also  my  desertion  by  my  comrade,  and 
said  : “ Be  of  good  cheer,  my  Benvenuto,  for  I will  never  leave 
your  side  until  I see  you  restored  to  health.”  I told  him  not 
to  come  too  close,  since  it  was  all  over  with  me.  Only  I be- 
sought him  to  be  so  kind  as  to  take  a considerable  quantity  of 
crowns,  which  were  lying  in  a little  box  near  my  bed,  and 
when  God  had  thought  fit  to  remove  me  from  this  world,  to 
send  them  to  my  poor  father,  writing  pleasantly  to  him,  in  the 
way  I too  had  done,  so  far  as  that  appalling  season  of  the 
plague  permitted.^  My  beloved  friend  declared  that  he  had 
no  intention  whatsoever  of  leaving  me,  and  that  come  what 
might,  in  life  or  death,  he  knew  very  well  what  was  his  duty 

1 Probably  Domenico  lacobacci,  who  obtained  the  hat  in  1517. 

2 A sua  provisione  stava,  i.e.,  he  was  in  the  Cardinal’s  regular  pay. 

3 Quanto.  Perhaps  we  ought  to  read  quando — when  ? 

Come  ancora  io  avevo  fatto  secondo  IPtsanza  che  promettava  qtieU'  arrabbiata 
stagione.  I am  not  sure  that  I have  given  the  right  sense  in  the  text  above. 
Leclanche  interprets  the  words  thus  : “ that  I too  had  fared  according  to  the 
wont  of  that  appalling  season,”  i.e..,  had  died  of  the  plague.  But  I think  the 
version  in  my  sense  is  more  true  both  to  Italian  and  to  Cellini’s  special  style. 


BOOK  FIRST 


51 


toward  a friend.  And  so  we  went  on  by  the  help  of  God  : and 
the  admirable  remedies  which  I had  used  began  to  work  a 
great  improvement,  and  I soon  came  well  out  of  that  dreadful 
sickness. 

The  sore  was  still  open,  with  a plug  of  lint  inside  it  and  a 
plaster  above,  when  I went  out  riding  on  a little  wild  pony. 
He  was  covered  with  hair  four  fingers  long,  and  was  exactly  as 
big  as  a well-grown  bear ; indeed  he  looked  just  like  a bear. 
I rode  out  on  him  to  visit  the  painter  Rosso,  who  was  then  living 
in  the  country,  toward  Civit^  Vecchia,  at  a place  of  Count 
Anguillara^s,  called  Cervetera.  I found  my  friend,  and  he  was 
very  glad  to  see  me  ; whereupon  I said  : “I  am  come  to  do  to 
you  that  which  you  did  to  me  so  many  months  ago.’^  He 
burst  out  laughing,  embraced  and  kissed  me,  and  begged  me 
for  the  Count’s  sake  to  keep  quiet.  I stayed  in  that  place 
about  a month,  with  much  content  and  gladness,  enjoying 
good  wines  and  excellent  food,  and  treated  with  the  greatest 
kindness  by  the  Count ; every  day  I used  to  ride  out  alone 
along  the  seashore,  where  1 dismounted,  and  filled  my  pockets 
with  all  sorts  of  pebbles,  snail  shells,  and  sea  shells  of  great 
rarity  and  beauty. 

On  the  last  day  (for  after  this  I went  there  no  more)  I was 
attacked  by  a band  of  men,  who  had  disguised  themselves,  and 
disembarked  from  a Moorish  privateer.  When  they  thought 
that  they  had  run  me  into  a certain  passage,  where  it  seemed 
impossible  that  I should  escape  from  their  hands,  I suddenly 
mounted  my  pony,  resolved  to  be  roasted  or  boiled  alive  at 
that  pass  perilous,  seeing  I had  little  hope  to  evade  one  or  the 
other  of  these  fates  but,  as  God  willed,  my  pony,  who  was 
the  same  I have  described  above,  took  an  incredibly  wide 
jump,  and  brought  me  off  in  safety,  for  which  I heartily 
thanked  God.  I told  the  story  to  the  Count ; he  ran  to  arms  ; 
but  we  saw  the  galleys  setting  out  to  sea.  The  next  day  fol- 
lowing I went  back  sound  and  with  good  cheer  to  Rome. 


XXX 

The  plague  had  by  this  time  almost  died  out,  so  that  the 
survivors,  when  they  met  together  alive,  rejoiced  with  much 
delight  in  one  another’s  company.  This  led  to  the  formation  of 


^ i.e.,  to  escape  either  being  drowned  or  shot. 


52 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


a club  of  painters,  sculptors,  and  goldsmiths,  the  best  that  were 
in  Rome  ; and  the  founder  of  it  was  a sculptor  with  the  name 
of  Michel  Agnolo.^  He  was  a Sienese  and  a man  of  great 
ability,  who  could  hold  his  own  against  any  other  workman  in 
that  art  ; but,  above  all,  he  was  the  most  amusing  comrade  and 
the  heartiest  good  fellow  in  the  universe.  Of  all  the  members 
of  the  club,  he  was  the  eldest,  and  yet  the  youngest  from  the 
strength  and  vigour  of  his  body.  We  often  came  together  ; at 
the  very  least  twice  a week.  I must  not  omit  to  mention  that 
our  society  counted  Giulio  Romano,  the  painter,  and  Gian 
Francesco,  both  of  them  celebrated  pupils  of  the  mighty 
Raffaello  da  Urbino. 

After  m.any  and  many  merry  meetings,  it  seemed  good  to  our 
worthy  president  that  for  the  following  Sunday  we  should 
repair  to  supper  in  his  house,  and  that  each  one  of  us  should 
be  obliged  to  bring  with  him  his  crow  (such  was  the  nickname 
Michel  Agnolo  gave  to  women  in  the  club),  and  that  whoso  did 
not  bring  one  should  be  sconced  by  paying  a supper  to  the 
whole  company.  Those  of  us  who  had  no  familiarity  with 
women  of  the  town,  were  forced  to  purvey  themselves  at  no 
small  trouble  and  expense,  in  order  to  appear  without  disgrace 
at  that  distinguished  feast  of  artists.  I had  reckoned  upon 
being  well  provided  with  a young  woman  of  considerable 
beauty,  called  Pantasilea,  who  was  very  much  in  love  with 
me  ; but  I was  obliged  to  give  her  up  to  one  of  my  dearest 
friends,  called  II  Bachiacca,  who  on  his  side  had  been,  and 
still  was,  over  head  and  ears  in  love  with  her.^  This  exchange 
excited  a certain  amount  of  lover’s  anger,  because  the  lady, 
seeing  I had  abandoned  her  at  Bachiacca’s  first  entreaty,  ima- 
gined that  I held  in  slight  esteem  the  great  affection  which 
she  bore  me.  In  course  of  time  a very  serious  incident  grew 
out  of  this  misunderstanding,  through  her  desire  to  take  re- 
venge for  the  affront  I had  put  upon  her  ; whereof  I shall 
speak  hereafter  in  the  proper  place. 

Well,  then,  the  hour  was  drawing  nigh  when  we  had  to  pre- 
sent ourselves  before  that  company  of  men  of  genius,  each  with 

^ This  sculptor  came  to  Rome  with  his  compatriot  Baldassare  Peruzzi,  and 
was  employed  upon  the  monument  of  Pope  Adrian  VI.,  which  he  executed 
with  some  help  from  Tribolo. 

- There  were  two  artists  at  this  epoch  surnamed  Bachiacca,  the  twin  sons  of 
Ubertino  Verdi,  called  respectively  Francesco  and  Antonio.  Francesco  was 
an  excellent  painter  of  miniature  oil-pictures  ; Antonio  the  first  embroiderer 
of  his  age.  The  one  alluded  to  here  is  probably  Francesco. 


BOOK  FIRST 


53 


his  own  crow  ; and  I was  still  unprovided  ; and  yet  I thought 
it  would  be  stupid  to  fail  of  such  a madcap  bagatelle  ; ^ but 
what  particularly  weighed  upon  my  mind  was  that  I did  not 
choose  to  lend  the  light  of  my  countenance  in  that  illustrious 
sphere  to  some  miserable  plume-plucked  scarecrow.  All  these 
considerations  made  me  devise  a pleasant  trick,  for  the  increase 
of  merriment  and  the  diffusion  of  mirth  in  our  society. 

Having  taken  this  resolve,  I sent  for  a stripling  of  sixteen 
years,  who  lived  in  the  next  house  to  mine  ; he  was  the  son  of 
a Spanish  coppersmith.  This  young  man  gave  his  time  to  Latin 
studies,  and  was  very  diligent  in  their  pursuit.  He  bore  the 
name  of  Diego,  had  a handsome  figure,  and  a complexion  of 
marvellous  brilliancy  ; the  outlines  of  his  head  and  face  were 
far  more  beautiful  than  those  of  the  antique  Antinous  : I had 
often  copied  them,  gaining  thereby  much  honour  from  the 
works  in  which  I used  them.  The  youth  had  no  acquaintances, 
and  was  therefore  quite  unknown ; dressed  very  ill  and  neg- 
ligently ; all  his  affections  being  set  upon  those  wonderful 
studies  of  his.  After  bringing  him  to  my  house,  I begged  him 
to  let  me  array  him  in  the  woman’s  clothes  which  I had  caused 
to  be  laid  out.  He  readily  complied,  and  put  them  on  at  once, 
while  I added  new  beauties  to  the  beauty  of  his  face  by  the 
elaborate  and  studied  way  in  which  I dressed  his  hair.  In 
his  ears  I placed  two  little  rings,  set  with  two  large  and  fair 
pearls ; the  rings  were  broken ; they  only  clipped  his  ears, 
which  looked  as  though  they  had  been  pierced.  Afterwards 
I wreathed  his  throat  with  chains  of  gold  and  rich  jewels,  and 
ornamented  his  fair  hands  with  rings.  Then  I took  him  in  a 
pleasant  manner  by  one  ear,  and  drew  him  before  a great 
looking-glass.  The  lad,  when  he  beheld  himself,  cried  out 
with  a burst  of  enthusiasm  : “ Heavens  ! is  that  Diego  ? ” I 
said  : “ That  is  Diego,  from  whom  until  this  day  I never  asked 
for  any  kind  of  favour  ; but  now  I only  beseech  Diego  to  do 
me  pleasure  in  one  harmless  thing  ; and  it  is  this — I want 
him  to  come  in  those  very  clothes  to  supper  with  the  company 
of  artists  whereof  he  has  often  heard  me  speak.”  The  young 
man,  who  was  honest,  virtuous,  and  wise,  checked  his  enthu- 
siasm, bent  his  eyes  to  the  ground,  and  stood  for  a short  while 
in  silence.  Then  with  a sudden  move  he  lifted  up  his  face 
and  said  : “ With  Benvenuto  I will  go  ; now  let  us  start.” 

^ Mancare  di  una  si  pazza  cosa.  The  pazza  cosa  may  be  the  supper-party 
or  the  cornacchia. 


54 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


I wrapped  his  head  in  a large  kind  of  napkin,  which  is 
called  in  Rome  a summer-cloth  ; and  when  we  reached  the 
place  of  meeting,  the  company  had  already  assembled,  and 
everybody  came  forward  to  greet  me.  Michel  Agnolo  had 
placed  himself  between  Giulio  and  Giovan  Francesco.  I 
lifted  the  veil  from  the  head  of  my  beauty  ; and  then  Michel 
Agnolo,  who,  as  I have  already  said,  was  the  most  humorous 
and  amusing  fellow  in  the  world,  laid  his  two  hands,  the  one 
on  Giulio’s  and  the  other  on  Gian  Francesco’s  shoulders, 
and  pulling  them  with  all  his  force,  made  them  bow  down, 
while  he,  on  his  knees  upon  the  floor,  cried  out  for  mercy,  and 
called  to  all  the  folk  in  words  like  these  : “ Behold  ye  of  what 
sort  are  the  angels  of  paradise  ! for  though  they  are  called 
angels,  here  shall  ye  see  that  they  are  not  all  of  the  male 
gender.”  Then  with  a loud  voice  he  added  : 

“ Angel  beauteous,  angel  best, 

Save  me  thou,  make  thou  me  blest.” 

Upon  this  my  charming  creature  laughed,  and  lifted  the  right 
hand  and  gave  him  a papal  benediction,  with  many  pleasant 
words  to  boot.  So  Michel  Agnolo  stood  up,  and  said  it  was 
the  custom  to  kiss  the  feet  of  the  Pope  and  the  cheeks  of 
angels  ; and  having  done  the  latter  to  Diego,  the  boy  blushed 
deeply,  which  immensely  enhanced  his  beauty. 

When  this  reception  was  over,  we  found  the  whole  room 
full  of  sonnets,  which  every  man  of  us  had  made  and  sent  to 
Michel  Agnolo.  My  lad  began  to  read  them,  and  read  them 
all  aloud  so  gracefully,  that  his  infinite  charms  were  heightened 
beyond  the  powers  of  language  to  describe.  Then  followed 
conversation  and  witty  sayings,  on  which  I will  not  enlarge, 
for  that  is  not  my  business  ; only  one  clever  word  must  be 
mentioned,  for  it  was  spoken  by  that  admirable  painter 
Giulio,  who,  looking  round  with  meaning  ^ in  his  eyes  on  the 
bystanders,  and  fixing  them  particularly  upon  the  women, 
turned  to  Michel  Agnolo  and  said  : “ My  dear  Michel  Agnolo, 
your  nickname  of  crow  very  well  suits  those  ladies  to-day, 
though  I vow  they  are  somewhat  less  fair  than  crows  by  the 
side  of  one  of  the  most  lovely  peacocks  which  fancy  could 
have  painted.” 

^ Virtuosamente.  Cellini  uses  the  word  virtuoso  in  many  senses,  but  always 
more  with  reference  to  intellectual  than  moral  qualities.  It  denotes  genius, 
artistic  ability,  masculine  force,  &c. 


BOOK  FIRST 


55 


When  the  banquet  was  served  and  ready,  and  we  were 
going  to  sit  down  to  table,  Giulio  asked  leave  to  be  allowed  to 
place  us.  This  being  granted,  he  took  the  women  by  the 
hand,  and  arranged  them  all  upon  the  inner  side,  with  my  fair 
in  the  centre  ; then  he  placed  all  the  men  on  the  outside  and 
me  in  the  middle,  saying  there  was  no  honour  too  great  for 
my  deserts.  As  a background  to  the  women,  there  was  spread 
an  espalier  of  natural  jasmines  in  full  beauty,^  which  set  off 
their  charms,  and  especially  Diego’s,  to  such  great  advantage, 
that  words  would  fail  to  describe  the  effect.  Then  we  all  of 
us  fell  to  enjoying  the  abundance  of  our  host’s  well-furnished 
table.  The  supper  was  followed  by  a short  concert  of  delight- 
ful music,  voices  joining  in  harmony  with  instruments  ; and 
forasmuch  as  they  were  singing  and  playing  from  the  book, 
my  beauty  begged  to  be  allowed  to  sing  his  part.  He  per- 
formed the  music  better  than  almost  all  the  rest,  which  so 
astonished  the  company  that  Giulio  and  Michel  Agnolo 
dropped  their  earlier  tone  of  banter,  exchanging  it  for  well- 
weighed  terms  of  sober  heartfelt  admiration. 

After  the  music  was  over,  a certain  Aurelio  Ascolano,^ 
remarkable  for  his  gift  as  an  improvisatory  poet,  began  to 
extol  the  women  in  choice  phrases  of  exquisite  compliment. 
While  he  was  chanting,  the  two  girls  who  had  my  beauty 
between  them  never  left  off  chattering.  One  of  them  related 
how  she  had  gone  wrong  ; the  other  asked  mine  how  it  had 
happened  with  her,  and  who  were  her  friends,  and  how  long 
she  had  been  settled  in  Rome,  and  many  other  questions  of 
the  kind.  It  is  true  that,  if  I chose  to  describe  such  laugh- 
able episodes,  I could  relate  several  odd  things  which  then 
occurred  through  Pantasilea’s  jealousy  on  my  account ; but 
since  they  form  no  part  of  my  design,  I pass  them  briefly  over. 
At  last  the  conversation  of  those  loose  women  vexed  my 
beauty,  whom  we  had  christened  Pomona  for  the  nonce  ; and 
Pomona,  wanting  to  escape  from  their  silly  talk,  turned  rest- 
lessly upon  her  chair,  first  to  one  side  and  then  to  the  other. 
The  female  brought  by  Giulio  asked  whether  she  felt  indis- 
posed. Pomona  answered,  yes,  she  thought  she  was  a month 

^ Un  tessuto  di  gelsumini  naiurali  e bellisshni.  Tessufo  is  properly  some- 
thing woven,  a fabric  ; and  I am  not  sure  whether  Cellini  does  not  mean  that 
the  ladies  had  behind  their  backs  a tapestry  representing  jasmines  in  a natural 
manner. 

2 Probably  P^urialo  d’Ascoli,  a friend  of  Caro,  Molza,  Aretino. 


56 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


or  so  with  child  ; this  gave  them  the  opportunity  of  feeling 
her  body  and  discovering  the  real  sex  of  the  supposed  woman. 
Thereupon  they  quickly  withdrew  their  hands  and  rose  from 
table,  uttering  such  gibing  words  as  are  commonly  addressed 
to  young  men  of  eminent  beauty.  The  whole  room  rang  with 
laughter  and  astonishment,  in  the  midst  of  which  Michel 
Agnolo,  assuming  a fierce  aspect,  called  out  for  leave  to  inflict 
on  me  the  penance  he  thought  fit.  When  this  was  granted, 
he  lifted  me  aloft  amid  the  clamour  of  the  company,  crying  : 
“ Long  live  the  gentleman  ! long  live  the  gentleman  ! ” and 
added  that  this  was  the  punishment  I deserved  for  having 
played  so  fine  a trick.  Thus  ended  that  most  agreeable  supper- 
party,  and  each  of  us  returned  to  his  own  dwelling  at  the 
close  of  day. 


XXXI 

It  would  take  too  long  to  describe  in  detail  all  the  many 
and  divers  pieces  of  work  which  I executed  for  a great  variety 
of  men.  At  present  I need  only  say  that  I devoted  myself 
with  sustained  diligence  and  industry  to  acquiring  mastery  in 
the  several  branches  of  art  which  I enumerated  a short  while 
back.  And  so  I went  on  labouring  incessantly  at  all  of  them  ; 
but  since  no  opportunity  has  presented  itself  as  yet  for  de- 
scribing my  most  notable  performances,  I shall  wait  to  report 
them  in  their  proper  place  before  very  long.  The  Sienese 
sculptor,  Michel  Agnolo,  of  whom  I have  recently  been 
speaking,  was  at  that  time  making  the  monument  of  the  late 
Pope  Adrian.  Giulio  Romano  went  to  paint  for  the  Marquis  of 
Mantua.  The  other  members  of  the  club  betook  themselves 
in  different  directions,  each  to  his  own  business  ; so  that  our 
company  of  artists  was  well-nigh  altogether  broken  up. 

About  this  time  there  fell  into  my  hands  some  little  Turkish 
poniards  ; the  handle  as  well  as  the  blade  of  these  daggers 
was  made  of  iron,  and  so  too  was  the  sheath.  They  were 
engraved  by  means  of  iron  implements  with  foliage  in  the 
most  exquisite  Turkish  style,  very  neatly  filled  in  with  gold. 
The  sight  of  them  stirred  in  me  a great  desire  to  try  my 
own  skill  in  that  branch,  so  different  from  the  others  which 
I practised  ; and  finding  that  I succeeded  to  my  satisfaction, 

I executed  several  pieces.  Mine  were  far  more  beautiful  and 
more  durable  than  the  Turkish,  and  this  for  divers  reasons. 


BOOK  FIRST 


57 


One  was  that  I cut  my  grooves  much  deeper  and  with  wider 
trenches  in  the  steel ; for  this  is  not  usual  in  Turkish  work. 
Another  was  that  the  Turkish  arabesques  are  only  composed 
of  arum  leaves  with  a few  small  sunflowers  and  though 
these  have  a certain  grace,  they  do  not  yield  so  lasting  a 
pleasure  as  the  patterns  which  we  use.  It  is  true  that  in  Italy 
we  have  several  different  ways  of  designing  foliage  ; the  Lom- 
bards, for  example,  construct  very  beautiful  patterns  by  copying 
the  leaves  of  briony  and  ivy  in  exquisite  curves,  which  are 
extremely  agreeable  to  the  eye  ; the  Tuscans  and  the  Romans 
make  a better  choice,  because  they  imitate  the  leaves  of  the 
acanthus,  commonly  called  bear’s-foot,  with  its  stalks  and 
flowers,  curling  in  divers  wavy  lines  ; and  into  these  arabesques 
one  may  excellently  well  insert  the  figures  of  little  birds  and 
different  animals,  by  which  the  good  taste  of  the  artist  is  dis- 
played. Some  hints  for  creatures  of  this  sort  can  be  observed 
in  nature  among  the  wild  flowers,  as,  for  instance,  in  snap- 
dragons and  some  few  other  plants,  which  must  be  combined 
and  developed  with  the  help  of  fanciful  imaginings  by  clever 
draughtsmen.  Such  arabesques  are  called  grotesques  by  the 
ignorant.  They  have  obtained  this  name  of  grotesques  among 
the  moderns  through  being  found  in  certain  subterranean 
caverns  in  Rome  by  students  of  antiquity  ; which  caverns  were 
formerly  chambers,  hot-baths,  cabinets  for  study,  halls,  and 
apartments  of  like  nature.  The  curious  discovering  them  in 
such  places  (since  the  level  of  the  ground  has  gradually  been 
raised  while  they  have  remained  below,  and  since  in  Rome 
these  vaulted  rooms  are  commonly  called  grottoes),  it  has 
followed  that  the  word  grotesque  is  applied  to  the  patterns  I 
have  mentioned.  But  this  is  not  the  right  term  for  them,  in- 
asmuch as  the  ancients,  who  delighted  in  composing  mon- 
sters out  of  goats,  cows,  and  horses,  called  these  chimerical 
hybrids  by  the  name  of  monsters  ; and  the  modern  artificers 
of  whom  I spoke,  fashioned  from  the  foliage  which  they 
copied  monsters  of  like  nature  ; for  these  the  proper  name 
is  therefore  monsters,  and  not  grotesques.  Well,  then,  I de- 
signed patterns  of  this  kind,  and  filled  them  in  with  gold, 
as  I have  mentioned  ; and  they  were  far  more  pleasing  to 
the  eye  than  the  Turkish. 

It  chanced  at  that  time  that  I lighted  upon  some  jars  or  little 


^ Gicheroy  arum  maculatum,  and  clizia^  the  sunflower. 


58 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


antique  urns  filled  with  ashes,  and  among  the  ashes  were  some 
iron  rings  inlaid  with  gold  (for  the  ancients  also  used  that  art), 
and  in  each  of  the  rings  was  set  a tiny  cameo  of  shell.  On 
applying  to  men  of  learning,  they  told  me  that  these  rings 
were  worn  as  amulets  by  folk  desirous  of  abiding  with  mind 
unshaken  in  any  extraordinary  circumstance,  whether  of  good 
or  evil  fortune.  Hereupon,  at  the  request  of  certain  noblemen 
who  were  my  friends,  I undertook  to  fabricate  some  trifling 
rings  of  this  kind  ; but  I made  them  of  refined  steel ; and  after 
they  had  been  well  engraved  and  inlaid  with  gold,  they  pro- 
duced a very  beautiful  effect ; and  sometimes  a single  ring 
brought  me  more  than  forty  crowns,  merely  in  payment  for 
my  labour. 

It  was  the  custom  at  that  epoch  to  wear  little  golden  medals, 
upon  which  every  nobleman  or  man  of  quality  had  some  device 
or  fancy  of  his  own  engraved  ; and  these  were  worn  in  the  cap. 
Of  such  pieces  I made  very  many,  and  found  them  extremely 
difficult  to  work.  I have  already  mentioned  the  admirable 
craftsman  Caradosso,  who  used  to  make  such  ornaments  ; and 
as  there  were  more  than  one  figure  on  each  piece,  he  asked  at 
least  a hundred  gold  crowns  for  his  fee.  This  being  so — not, 
however,  because  his  prices  were  so  high,  but  because  he 
worked  so  slowly — I began  to  be  employed  by  certain  noble- 
men, for  whom,  among  other  things,  I made  a medal  in  com- 
petition with  that  great  artist,  and  it  had  four  figures,  upon 
which  I had  expended  an  infinity  of  labour.  These  men  of 
quality,  when  they  compared  my  piece  with  that  of  the 
famous  Caradosso,  declared  that  mine  was  by  far  the  better 
executed  and  more  beautiful,  and  bade  me  ask  what  I liked 
as  the  reward  of  my  trouble  ; for  since  I had  given  them 
such  perfect  satisfaction,  they  wished  to  do  the  like  by  me. 
I replied  that  my  greatest  reward  and  what  I most  desired 
was  to  have  rivalled  the  masterpieces  of  so  eminent  an  artist ; 
and  that  if  their  lordships  thought  I had,  I acknowledged 
myself  to  be  most  amply  rewarded.  With  this  I took  my 
leave,  and  they  immediately  sent  me  such  a very  liberal 
present,  that  I was  well  content ; indeed  there  grew  in  me  so 
great  a spirit  to  do  well,  that  to  this  event  I attribute  what  will 
afterwards  be  related  of  my  progress. 


BOOK  FIRST 


59 


XXXII  ^ 

I shall  be  obliged  to  digress  a little  from  the  history  of  my 
art,  unless  I were  to  omit  some  annoying  incidents  which  have 
happened  in  the  course  of  my  troubled  career.  One  of  these, 
which  I am  about  to  describe,  brought  me  into  the  greatest 
risk  of  my  life.  I have  already  told  the  story  of  the  artists’ 
club,  and  of  the  farcical  adventures  which  happened  owing 
to  the  woman  whom  I mentioned,  Pantasilea,  the  one  who  felt 
for  me  that  false  and  fulsome  love.  She  was  furiously  enraged 
because  of  the  pleasant  trick  by  which  I brought  Diego  to  our 
banquet,  and  she  swore  to  be  revenged  on  me.  How  she  did 
so  is  mixed  up  with  the  history  of  a young  man  called  Luigi 
Pulci,  who  had  recently  come  to  Rome.  He  was  the  son  of 
one  of  the  Pulcis,  who  had  been  beheaded  for  incest  with 
his  daughter ; and  the  youth  possessed  extraordinary  gifts 
for  poetry  together  with  sound  Latin  scholarship ; he  wrote 
well,  was  graceful  in  manners,  and  of  surprising  personal 
beauty  ; he  had  just  left  the  service  of  some  bishop,  whose 
name  I do  not  remember,  and  was  thoroughly  tainted  with 
a very  foul  disease.  While  he  was  yet  a lad  and  living  in 
Florence,  they  used  in  certain  places  of  the  city  to  meet  to- 
gether during  the  nights  of  summer  on  the  public  streets  ; and 
he,  ranking  among  the  best  of  the  improvisatori,  sang  there. 
His  recitations  were  so  admirable,  that  the  divine  Michel 
Agnolo  Buonarroti,  that  prince  of  sculptors  and  of  painters, 
went,  wherever  he  heard  that  he  would  be,  with  the  greatest 
eagerness  and  delight  to  listen  to  him.  There  was  a man 
called  Piloto,  a goldsmith,  very  able  in  his  art,  who,  together 
with  myself,  joined  Buonarroti  upon  these  occasions.^  Thus 
acquaintance  sprang  up  between  me  and  Luigi  Pulci ; and  so, 
after  the  lapse  of  many  years,  he  came,  in  the  miserable  plight 
which  I have  mentioned,  to  make  himself  known  to  me  again 
in  Rome,  beseeching  me  for  God’s  sake  to  help  him.  Moved 
to  compassion  by  his  great  talents,  by  the  love  of  my  father- 
land,  and  by  my  own  natural  tenderness  of  heart,  I took  him 
into  my  house,  and  had  him  medically  treated  in  such  wise 

^ Piloto,  of  whom  we  shall  hear  more  hereafter,  was  a prominent  figure  in 
the  Florentine  society  of  artists,  and  a celebrated  practical  joker.  Vasari  says 
that  a young  man  of  whom  he  had  spoken  ill  murdered  him.  Lasca’s  Novelle, 
Le  Cene,  should  be  studied  by  those  who  seek  an  insight  into  this  curious 
Bohemia  of  the  sixteenth  century. 


6o 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


that,  being  but  a youth,  he  soon  regained  his  health.  While 
he  was  still  pursuing  his  cure,  he  never  omitted  his  studies, 
and  I provided  him  with  books  according  to  the  means  at  my 
disposal.  The  result  was  that  Luigi,  recognising  the  great 
benelits  he  had  received  from  me,  oftentimes  with  words 
and  tears  returned  me  thanks,  protesting  that  if  God  should 
ever  put  good  fortune  in  his  way,  he  would  recompense  me  for 
my  kindness.  To  this  I replied  that  I had  not  done  for  him 
as  much  as  I desired,  but  only  what  I could,  and  that  it  was 
the  duty  of  human  beings  to  be  mutually  serviceable.  Only 
I suggested  that  he  should  repay  the  service  I had  rendered 
him  by  doing  likewise  to  some  one  who  might  have  the  same 
need  of  him  as  he  had  had  of  me. 

The  young  man  in  question  began  to  frequent  the  Court 
of  Rome,  where  he  soon  found  a situation,  and  enrolled  him- 
self in  the  suite  of  a bishop,  a man  of  eighty  years,  who  bore 
the  title  of  Gurgensis.^  This  bishop  had  a nephew  called 
Messer  Giovanni : he  was  a nobleman  of  Venice  ; and  the 
said  Messer  Giovanni  made  show  of  marvellous  attachment 
to  Luigi  Pulci’s  talents  ; and  under  the  pretence  of  these 
talents,  he  brought  him  as  familiar  to  himself  as  his  own  flesh 
and  blood.  Luigi  having  talked  of  me,  and  of  his  great  obli- 
gations to  me,  with  Messer  Giovanni,  the  latter  expressed  a 
wish  to  make  my  acquaintance.  Thus  then  it  came  to  pass, 
that  when  I had  upon  a certain  evening  invited  that  woman 
Pantasilea  to  supper,  and  had  assembled  a company  of  men 
of  parts  who  were  my  friends,  just  at  the  moment  of  our  sitting 
down  to  table,  Messer  Giovanni  and  Luigi  Pulci  arrived,  and 
after  some  complimentary  speeches,  they  both  remained  to 
sup  with  us.  The  shameless  strumpet,  casting  her  eyes  upon 
the  young  man’s  beauty,  began  at  once  to  lay  her  nets  for  him  ; 
perceiving  which,  when  the  supper  had  come  to  an  agreeable 
end,  I took  Luigi  aside,  and  conjured  him,  by  the  benelits  he 
said  he  owed  me,  to  have  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  her. 
To  this  he  answered  : “ Good  heavens,  Benvenuto  ! do  you 
then  take  me  for  a madman  ?”  I rejoined  : “ Not  for  a mad- 
man, but  for  a young  fellow  ; ” and  I swore  to  him  by  God  : 
“ I do  not  give  that  woman  the  least  thought  ; but  for  your 
sake  I should  be  sorry  if  through  her  you  came  to  break  your 
neck.”  Upon  these  words  he  vowed  and  prayed  to  God, 

1 Girolamo  Balbo,  of  the  noble  Venetian  family,  Bishop  of  Gurck,  in 
Carinthia. 


BOOK  FIRST 


6i 


that,  if  ever  he  but  spoke  'with  her,  he  might  upon  the  moment 
break  his  neck.  I think  the  poor  lad  swore  this  oath  to  God 
with  all  his  heart,  for  he  did  break  his  neck,  as  I shall  presently 
relate.  Messer  Giovanni  showed  signs  too  evident  of  loving 
him  in  a dishonourable  way  ; for  we  began  to  notice  that 
Luigi  had  new  suits  of  silk  and  velvet  every  morning,  and 
it  was  known  that  he  abandoned  himself  altogether  to  bad 
courses.  He  neglected  his  fine  talents,  and  pretended  not 
to  see  or  recognise  me,  because  I had  once  rebuked  him,  and 
told  him  he  was  giving  his  soul  to  foul  vices,  which  would 
make  him  break  his  neck,  as  he  had  vowed. 


XXXIII 

Now  Messer  Giovanni  bought  his  favourite  a very  fine  black 
horse,  for  which  he  paid  150  crowns.  The  beast  was  admirably 
trained  to  hand,  so  that  Luigi  could  go  daily  to  caracole  around 
the  lodgings  of  that  prostitute  Pantasilea.  Though  I took 
notice  of  this,  I paid  it  no  attention,  only  remarking  that  all 
things  acted  as  their  nature  prompted  ; and  meanwhile  I gave 
my  whole  mind  to  my  studies.  It  came  to  pass  one  Sunday 
evening  that  we  were  invited  to  sup  together  with  the  Sienese 
sculptor,  Michel  Agnolo,  and  the  time  of  the  year  was  summer. 
Bachiacca,  of  whom  I have  already  spoken,  was  present  at  the 
party  ; and  he  had  brought  with  him  his  old  flame,  Pantasilea. 
When  we  were  at  table,  she  sat  between  me  and  Bachiacca  ; 
but  in  the  very  middle  of  the  banquet  she  rose,  and  excused 
herself  upon  the  pretext  of  a natural  need,  saying  she  would 
speedily  return.  We,  meanwhile,  continued  talking  very 
agreeably  and  supping  ; but  she  remained  an  unaccountably 
long  time  absent.  It  chanced  that,  keeping  my  ears  open,  I 
thought  I heard  a sort  of  subdued  tittering  in  the  street  below. 
I had  a knife  in  hand,  which  I was  using  for  my  service  at 
the  table.  The  window  was  so  close  to  where  I sat,  that,  by 
merely  rising,  I could  see  Luigi  in  the  street,  together  with 
Pantasilea  ; and  I heard  Luigi  saying  : “ Oh,  if  that  devil 
Benvenuto  only  saw  us,  shouldn’t  we  just  catch  it ! ” She 
answered  : “ Have  no  fear  ; only  listen  to  the  noise  they’re 
making  ; we  are  the  last  thing  they’re  thinking  of.”  At  these 
words,  having  made  them  both  well  out,  I leaped  from  the 
window,  and  took  Luigi  by  the  cape  ; and  certainly  I should 


62 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


then  have  killed  him  with  the  knife  I held,  but  that  he  was 
riding  a white  horse,  to  which  he  clapped  spurs,  leaving  his 
cape  in  my  grasp,  in  order  to  preserve  his  life.  Pantasilea 
took  to  her  heels  in  the  direction  of  a neighbouring  church. 
The  company  at  supper  rose  immediately,  and  came  down, 
entreating  me  in  a body  to  refrain  from  putting  myself  and 
them  to  inconvenience  for  a strumpet.  I told  them  that  I 
should  not  have  let  myself  be  moved  on  her  account,  but 
that  I was  bent  on  punishing  the  infamous  young  man,  who 
showed  how  little  he  regarded  me.  Accordingly  I would  not 
yield  to  the  remonstrances  of  those  ingenious  and  worthy 
men,  but  took  my  sword,  and  went  alone  toward  Prati : — 
the  house  where  we  were  supping,  I should  say,  stood  close 
to  the  Gastello  gate,  which  led  to  Prati.^  Walking  thus  upon 
the  road  to  Prati,  I had  not  gone  far  before  the  sun  sank,  and  I 
re-entered  Rome  itself  at  a slow  pace.  Night  had  fallen  ; dark- 
ness had  come  on  ; but  the  gates  of  Rome  were  not  yet  shut. 

Toward  two  hours  after  sunset,  I walked  along  Pantasilea’s 
lodging,  with  the  intention,  if  Luigi  Pulci  were  there,  of  doing 
something  to  the  discontent  of  both.  When  I heard  and  saw 
that  no  one  but  a poor  servant-girl  called  Canida  was  in  the 
house,  I went  to  put  away  my  cloak  and  the  scabbard  of  my 
sword,  and  then  returned  to  the  house,  which  stood  behind  the 
Banchi  on  the  river  Tiber.  Just  opposite  stretched  a garden 
belonging  to  an  innkeeper  called  Romolo.  It  was  enclosed 
by  a thick  hedge  of  thorns,  in  which  I hid  myself,  standing 
upright,  and  waiting  till  the  woman  came  back  with  Luigi. 
After  keeping  watch  awhile  there,  my  friend  Bachiacca  crept 
up  to  me  ; whether  led  by  his  own  suspicions  or  by  the  advice 
of  others,  I cannot  say.  In  a low  voice  he  called  out  to  me : 
“ Gossip  ” (for  so  we  used  to  name  ourselves  for  fun);  and  then 
he  prayed  me  for  God’s  love,  using  the  words  which  follow, 
with  tears  in  the  tone  of  his  voice  : “ Dear  gossip,  I entreat 
you  not  to  injure  that  poor  girl ; she  at  least  has  erred  in  no 
wise  in  this  matter — no,  not  at  all.”  When  I heard  what  he 
was  saying,  I replied  : “ If  you  don’t  take  yourself  off  now,  at 
this  first  word  I utter,  I will  bring  my  sword  here  down  upon 
your  head.”  Overwhelmed  with  fright,  my  poor  gossip  was 

^ The  Porta  Gastello  was  the  gate  called  after  the  Castle  of  S.  Angelo. 
Prati,  so  far  as  I can  make  out,  was  an  open  space  between  the  Borgo  and  the 
Bridge  of  S.  Angelo.  In  order  to  get  inside  Rome  itself,  Cellini  had  to  pass 
a second  gate.  His  own  lodging  and  Pantasilea’s  house  were  in  the  quarter 
of  the  Bianchi,  where  are  now  the  Via  Giulia  and  Via  de’  Banchi  Vecchi. 


BOOK  FIRST 


63 

suddenly  taken  ill  with  the  colic,  and  withdrew  to  ease  him- 
self apart ; indeed,  he  could  not  but  obey  the  call.  There 
was  a glorious  heaven  of  stars,  which  shed  good  light  to 
see  by.  All  of  a sudden  I was  aware  of  the  noise  of  many 
horses  ; they  were  coming  toward  me  from  the  one  side  and 
the  other.  It  turned  out  to  be  Luigi  and  Pantasilea,  attended 
by  a certain’  Messer  Benvegnato  of  Perugia,  who  was  cham- 
berlain to  Pope  Clement,  and  followed  by  four  doughty  cap- 
tains of  Perugia,  with  some  other  valiant  soldiers  in  the 
flower  of  youth  ; altogether  reckoned,  there  were  more  than 
twelve  swords.  When  I understood  the  matter,  and  saw 
not  how  to  fly,  I did  my  best  to  crouch  into  the  hedge.  But 
the  thorns  pricked  and  hurt  me,  goading  me  to  madness 
like  a bull ; and  I had  half  resolved  to  take  a leap  and  hazard 
my  escape.  Just  then  Luigi,  with  his  arm  round  Pantasilea^s 
neck,  was  heard  crying  : “ I must  kiss  you  once  again,  if  only 
to  insult  that  traitor  Benvenuto.’’  At  that  moment,  annoyed 
as  I was  by  the  prickles,  and  irritated  by  the  young  man’s 
words,  I sprang  forth,  lifted  my  sword  on  high,  and  shouted 
at  the  top  of  my  voice  : “You  are  all  dead  folk  ! ” My  blow 
descended  on  the  shoulder  of  Luigi ; but  the  satyrs  who 
doted  on  him,  had  steeled  his  person  round  with  coats  of 
mail  and  such-like  villainous  defences  ; still  the  stroke  fell 
with  crushing  force.  Swerving  aside,  the  sword  hit  Pantasilea 
full  in  nose  and  mouth.  Both  she  and  Luigi  grovelled  on 
the  ground,  while  Bachiacca,  with  his  breeches  down  to 
heels,  screamed  out  and  ran  away.  Then  I turned  upon  the 
others  boldly  with  my  sword  ; and  those  valiant  fellows, 
hearing  a sudden  commotion  in  the  tavern,  thought  there 
was  an  army  coming  of  a hundred  men  ; and  though  they 
drew  their  swords  with  spirit,  yet  two  horses  which  had  taken 
fright  in  the  tumult  cast  them  into  such  disorder  that  a 
couple  of  the  best  riders  were  thrown,  and  the  remainder 
took  to  flight.  I,  seeing  that  the  affair  was  turning  out  well 
for  me,  ran  as  quickly  as  I could,  and  came  off  with  honour 
from  the  engagement,  not  wishing  to  tempt  fortune  more 
than  was  my  duty.  During  this  hurly-burly,  some  of  the 
soldiers  and  captains  wounded  themselves  with  their  own 
arms  ; and  Messer  Benvegnato,  the  Pope’s  chamberlain,  was 
kicked  and  trampled  by  his  mule.  One  of  the  servants  also, 
who  had  drawn  his  sword,  fell  down  together  with  his  master, 
and  wounded  him  badly  in  the  hand.  Maddened  by  the 


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LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


pain,  he  swore  louder  than  all  the  rest  in  his  Perugian 
jargon,  crying  out  : “ By  the  body  of  God,  I will  take  care  that 
Benvegnato  teaches  Benvenuto  how  to  live.”  He  afterwards 
commissioned  one  of  the  captains  who  were  with  him  (braver 
perhaps  than  the  others,  but  with  less  aplomb,  as  being  but 
a youth)  to  seek  me  out.  The  fellow  came  to  visit  me  in 
the  place  of  my  retirement ; that  was  the  palace  of  a great 
Neapolitan  nobleman,  who  had  become  acquainted  with 
me  in  my  art,  and  had  besides  taken  a fancy  to  me  because 
of  my  physical  and  mental  aptitude  for  fighting,  to  which  my 
lord  himself  was  personally  well  inclined.  So,  then,  finding 
myself  made  much  of,  and  being  precisely  in  my  element,  I 
gave  such  answer  to  the  captain  as  I think  must  have  made 
him  earnestly  repent  of  having  come  to  look  me  up.  After  a 
few  days,  when  the  wounds  of  Luigi,  and  the  strumpet,  and 
the  rest  were  healing,  this  great  Neapolitan  nobleman  received 
overtures  from  Messer  Benvegnato  ; for  the  prelate’s  anger 
had  cooled,  and  he  proposed  to  ratify  a peace  between  me 
and  Luigi  and  the  soldiers,  who  had  personally  no  quarrel 
with  me,  and  only  wished  to  make  my  acquaintance.  Ac- 
cordingly my  friend  the  nobleman  replied  that  he  would 
bring  me  where  they  chose  to  appoint,  and  that  he  was  very 
willing  to  effect  a reconciliation.  He  stipulated  that  no  words 
should  be  bandied  about  on  either  side,  seeing  that  would  be 
little  to  their  credit ; it  was  enough  to  go  through  the  form 
of  drinking  together  and  exchanging  kisses  ; he  for  his  part 
undertook  to  do  the  talking,  and  promised  to  settle  the  matter 
to  their  honour.  This  arrangement  was  carried  out.  On 
Thursday  evening  my  protector  took  me  to  the  house  of 
Messer  Benvegnato,  where  all  the  soldiers  who  had  been 
present  at  that  discomfiture  were  assembled,  and  already 
seated  at  table.  My  nobleman  was  attended  by  thirty  brave 
fellows,  all  well  armed  ; a circumstance  which  Messer  Ben- 
vegnato had  not  anticipated.  When  we  came  into  the  hall, 
he  walking  first,  I following,  he  spake  to  this  effect : “ God 
save  you,  gentlemen  ; we  have  come  to  see  you,  I and 
Benvenuto,  whom  I love  like  my  own  brother ; and  we  are 
ready  to  do  whatever  you  propose.”  Messer  Benvegnato, 
seeing  the  hall  fill  with  such  a crowd  of  men,  called  out : “ It 
is  only  peace,  and  nothing  else,  we  ask  of  you.”  Accordingly 
he  promised  that  the  governor  of  Rome  and  his  catchpoles 
should  give  me  no  trouble.  Then  we  made  peace,  and  I 


BOOK  FIRST 


65 


returned  to  my  shop,  where  I could  not  stay  an  hour  without 
that  Neapolitan  nobleman  either  coming  to  see  me  or  sending 
for  me. 

Meanwhile  Luigi  Pulci,  having  recovered  from  his  wound, 
rode  every  day  upon  the  black  horse  which  was  so  well 
trained  to  heel  and  bridle.  One  day,  among  others,  after  it 
had  rained  a little,  and  he  was  making  his  horse  curvet  just 
before  Pantasilea’s  door,  he  slipped  and  fell,  with  the  horse 
upon  him.  His  right  leg  was  broken  short  off  in  the  thigh  ; 
and  after  a few  days  he  died  there  in  Pantasilea’s  lodgings, 
discharging  thus  the  vow  he  registered  so  heartily  to  Heaven. 
Even  so  may  it  be  seen  that  God  keeps  account  of  the  good 
and  the  bad,  and  gives  to  each  one  what  he  merits. 


XXXIV 

The  whole  world  was  now  in  warfare.^  Pope  Clement  had 
sent  to  get  some  troops  from  Giovanni  de’  Medici,  and  when 
they  came,  they  made  such  disturbances  in  Rome,  that  it  was 
ill  living  in  open  shops.^  On  this  account  I retired  to  a good 
snug  house  behind  the  Banchi,  where  I worked  for  all  the 
friends  I had  acquired.  Since  I produced  few  things  of  much 
importance  at  that  period,  I need  not  waste  time  in  talking 
about  them.  I took  much  pleasure  in  music  and  amusements 
of  the  kind.  On  the  death  of  Giovanni  de’  Medici  in  Lombardy, 
the  Pope,  at  the  advice  of  Messer  Jacopo  Salviati,  dismissed 
the  five  bands  he  had  engaged  ; and  when  the  Constable 
of  Bourbon  knew  there  were  no  troops  in  Rome,  he  pushed 
his  army  with  the  utmost  energy  up  to  the  city.  The  whole 
of  Rome  upon  this  flew  to  arms.  I happened  to  be  intimate 
with  Alessandro,  the  son  of  Piero  del  Bene,  who,  at  the  time 
when  the  Colonnesi  entered  Rome,  had  requested  me  to  guard 
his  palace.^  On  this  more  serious  occasion,  therefore,  he 
prayed  me  to  enlist  fifty  comrades  for  the  protection  of  the 

1 War  had  broken  out  in  1521  between  Charles  V.  and  Francis  I.,  which 
disturbed  all  Europe  and  involved  the  States  of  Italy  in  serious  complications. 
At  the  moment  when  this  chapter  opens,  the  Imperialist  army  under  the 
Constable  of  Bourbon  was  marching  upon  Rome  in  1527. 

^ These  troops  entered  Rome  in  October  1526.  They  were  disbanded  in 
March  1527. 

^ Cellini  here  refers  to  the  attack  made  upon  Rome  by  the  great  Ghibelline 
house  of  Colonna,  led  by  their  chief  captain,  Pompeo,  in  September  1526, 

E 


66 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


said  house,  appointing  me  their  captain,  as  I had  been  when 
the  Colonnesi  came.  So  I collected  fifty  young  men  of  the 
highest  courage,  and  we  took  up  our  quarters  in  his  palace, 
with  good  pay  and  excellent  appointments. 

Bourbon’s  army  had  now  arrived  before  the  walls  of  Rome, 
and  Alessandro  begged  me  to  go  with  him  to  reconnoitre. 
So  we  went  with  one  of  the  stoutest  fellows  in  our  company  ; 
and  on  the  way  a youth  called  Cecchino  della  Casa  joined 
himself  to  us.  On  reaching  the  walls  by  the  Campo  Santo, 
we  could  see  that  famous  army,  which  was  making  every 
effort  to  enter  the  town.  Upon  the  ramparts  where  we  took 
our  station,  several  young  men  were  lying  killed  by  the  be- 
siegers ; the  battle  raged  there  desperately,  and  there  was  the 
densest  fog  imaginable.  I turned  to  Alessandro  and  said  : 
“ Let  us  go  home  as  soon  as  we  can,  for  there  is  nothing 
to  be  done  here  ; you  see  the  enemies  are  mounting,  and  our 
men  are  in  flight.”  Alessandro,  in  a panic,  cried  : “ Would 
God  that  we  had  never  come  here  !”  and  turned  in  maddest 
haste  to  fly.  I took  him  up  somewhat  sharply  with  these 
words  : “ Since  you  have  brought  me  here,  I must  perform 
some  action  worthy  of  a man  ; ” and  directing  my  arquebuse 
where  I saw  the  thickest  and  most  serried  troop  of  fighting 
men,  I aimed  exactly  at  one  whom  I remarked  to  be  higher 
than  the  rest : the  fog  prevented  me  from  being  certain 
whether  he  was  on  horseback  or  on  foot.  Then  I turned  to 
Alessandro  and  Cecchino,  and  bade  them  discharge  their 
arquebuses,  showing  them  how  to  avoid  being  hit  by  the 
besiegers.  When  we  had  fired  two  rounds  apiece,  I crept 
cautiously  up  to  the  wall,  and  observing  among  the  enemy  a 
most  extraordinary  confusion,  I discovered  afterwards  that 
one  of  our  shots  had  killed  the  Constable  of  Bourbon  ; and 
from  what  I subsequently  learned,  he  was  the  man  whom 
I had  first  noticed  above  the  heads  of  the  rest.^ 

Quitting  our  position  on  the  ramparts,  we  crossed  the  Campo 

They  took  possession  of  the  city  and  drove  Clement  into  the  Castle  of  S.  Angelo, 
where  they  forced  him  to  agree  to  terms  favouring  the  Imperial  cause.  It  was 
customary  for  Roman  gentlemen  to  hire  bravi  for  the  defence  of  their  palaces 
when  any  extraordinary  disturbance  was  expected,  as,  for  example,  upon  the 
vacation  of  the  Papal  Chair. 

^ All  historians  of  the  sack  of  Rome  agree  in  saying  that  Bourbon  was  shot 
dead  while  placing  ladders  against  the  outworks  near  the  shop  Cellini  mentions. 
But  the  honour  of  firing  the  arquebuse  which  brought  him  down  cannot  be 
assigned  to  any  one  in  particular.  Very  different  stories  were  current  on  the 
subject.  See  Gregorovius,  Stadt  Rom,  vol.  viii.  p.  522. 


BOOK  FIRST 


67 


Santo,  and  entered  the  city  by  St.  Peter’s  ; then  coming  out 
exactly  at  the  church  of  Santo  Agnolo,  we  got  with  the  greatest 
difficulty  to  the  great  gate  of  the  castle  ; for  the  generals  Renzo 
di  Ceri  and  Orazio  Baglioni  were  wounding  and  slaughtering 
everybody  who  abandoned  the  defence  of  the  walls.^  By  the 
time  we  had  reached  the  great  gate,  part  of  the  foemen  had 
already  entered  Rome,  and  we  had  them  in  our  rear.  The 
castellan  had  ordered  the  portcullis  to  be  lowered,  in  order 
to  do  which  they  cleared  a little  space,  and  this  enabled  us 
four  to  get  inside.  On  the  instant  that  I entered,  the  captain 
Pallone  de’  Medici  claimed  me  as  being  of  the  Papal  house- 
hold, and  forced  me  to  abandon  Alessandro,  which  I had  to 
do,  much  against  my  will.  I ascended  to  the  keep,  and  at  the 
same  instant  Pope  Clement  came  in  through  the  corridors 
into  the  castle  ; he  had  refused  to  leave  the  palace  of  St.  Peter 
earlier,  being  unable  to  believe  that  his  enemies  would  effect 
their  entrance  into  Rome.^  Having  got  into  the  castle  in  this 
way,  I attached  myself  to  certain  pieces  of  artillery,  which 
were  under  the  command  of  a bombardier  called  Giuliano 
Fiorentino.  Leaning  there  against  the  battlements,  the  un- 
happy man  could  see  his  poor  house  being  sacked,  and  his 
wife  and  children  outraged  ; fearing  to  strike  his  own  folk, 
he  dared  not  discharge  the  cannon,  and  flinging  the  burning 
fuse  upon  the  ground,  he  wept  as  though  his  heart  would 
break,  and  tore  his  cheeks  with  both  his  hands.^  Some  of 
the  other  bombardiers  were  behaving  in  like  manner  ; seeing 
which,  I took  one  of  the  matches,  and  got  the  assistance  of 
a few  men  who  were  not  overcome  by  their  emotions.  I 
aimed  some  swivels  and  falconets  at  points  where  I saw  it 

^ For  Renzo  di  Ceri  see  above,  p.  43.  Orazio  Baglioni,  of  the  semi-princely 
Perugian  family,  was  a distinguished  Condottiere.  He  subsequently  obtained 
the  captaincy  of  the  Bande  Nere,  and  died  fighting  near  Naples  in  1528. 
Orazio  murdered  several  of  his  cousins  in  order  to  acquire  the  lordship  of 
Perugia.  His  brother  Malatesta  undertook  to  defend  Florence  in  the  siege 
of  1530,  and  sold  the  city  by  treason  to  Clement. 

^ Giovio,  in  his  Life  of  the  Cardinal  Prospero  Colonna,  relates  how  he 
accompanied  Clement  in  his  flight  from  the  Vatican  to  the  castle.  While 
passing  some  open  portions  of  the  gallery,  he  threw  his  violet  mantle  and 
cap  of  a Monsignore  over  the  white  stole  of  the  Pontiff,  for  fear  he  might  be 
shot  at  by  the  soldiers  in  the  streets  below. 

^ The  short  autobiography  of  Raffaello  da  Montelupo,  a man  in  many 
respects  resembling  Cellini,  confirms  this  part  of  our  author’s  narrative.  It 
is  one  of  the  most  interesting  pieces  of  evidence  regarding  what  went  on 
inside  the  castle  during  the  sack  of  Rome.  Montelupo  was  also  a gunner, 
and  commanded  two  pieces. 


68 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


would  be  useful,  and  killed  with  them  a good  number  of  the 
enemy.  Had  it  not  been  for  this,  the  troops  who  poured  into 
Rome  that  morning,  and  were  marching  straight  upon  the 
castle,  might  possibly  have  entered  it  with  ease,  because  the 
artillery  was  doing  them  no  damage.  I went  on  firing  under 
the  eyes  of  several  cardinals  and  lords,  who  kept  blessing  me 
and  giving  me  the  heartiest  encouragement.  In  my  enthusiasm 
I strove  to  achieve  the  impossible ; let  it  suffice  that  it  was  I 
who  saved  the  castle  that  morning,  and  brought  the  other 
bombardiers  back  to  their  duty.^  I worked  hard  the  whole 
of  that  day  ; and  when  the  evening  came,  while  the  army  was 
marching  into  Rome  through  the  Trastevere,  Pope  Clement 
appointed  a great  Roman  nobleman  named  Antonio  Santa- 
croce  to  be  captain  of  all  the  gunners.  The  first  thing  this 
man  did  was  to  come  to  me,  and  having  greeted  me  with 
the  utmost  kindness,  he  stationed  me  with  five  fine  pieces 
of  artillery  on  the  highest  point  of  the  castle,  to  which  the 
name  of  the  Angel  specially  belongs.  This  circular  eminence 
goes  round  the  castle,  and  surveys  both  Prati  and  the  town  of 
Rome.  The  captain  put  under  my  orders  enough  men  to  help 
in  managing  my  guns,  and  having  seen  me  paid  in  advance, 
he  gave  me  rations  of  bread  and  a little  wine,  and  begged  me 
to  go  forward  as  I had  begun.  I was  perhaps  more  inclined 
by  nature  to  the  profession  of  arms  than  to  the  one  I had 
adopted,  and  I took  such  pleasure  in  its  duties  that  I dis- 
charged them  better  than  those  of  my  own  art.  Night  came, 
the  enemy  had  entered  Rome,  and  we  who  were  in  the  castle 
(especially  myself,  who  have  always  taken  pleasure  in  extra- 
ordinary sights)  stayed  gazing  on  the  indescribable  scene  of 
tumult  and  conflagration  in  the  streets  below.  People  who 
were  anywhere  else  but  where  we  were,  could  not  have  formed 
the  least  imagination  of  what  it  was.  I will  not,  however,  set 
myself  to  describe  that  tragedy,  but  will  content  myself  with 
continuing  the  history  of  my  own  life  and  the  circumstances 
which  properly  belong  to  it. 


- This  is  an  instance  of  Cellini’s  exaggeration.  He  did  more  than  yeoman’s 
service,  no  doubt.  But  we  cannot  believe  that.,  without  him,  the  castle  would 
have  been  taken. 


BOOK  FIRST 


69 


XXXV  ^ 

During  the  course  of  my  artillery  practice,  which  I never 
intermitted  through  the  whole  month  passed  by  us  beleaguered 
in  the  castle,  I met  with  a great  many  very  striking  accidents, 
all  of  them  worthy  to  be  related.  But  since  I do  not  care  to 
be  too  prolix,  or  to  exhibit  myself  outside  the  sphere  of  my 
profession,  I will  omit  the  larger  part  of  them,  only  touching 
upon  those  I cannot  well  neglect,  which  shall  be  the  fewest  in 
number  and  the  most  remarkable.  The  first  which  comes  to 
hand  is  this  : Messer  Antonio  Santacroce  had  made  me  come 
down  from  the  Angel,  in  order  to  fire  on  some  houses  in 
the  neighbourhood,  where  certain  of  our  besiegers  had  been 
seen  to  enter.  While  I was  firing,  a cannon  shot  reached  me, 
which  hit  the  angle  of  a battlement,  and  carried  off  enough 
of  it  to  be  the  cause  why  I sustained  no  injury.  The  whole 
mass  struck  me  in  the  chest  and  took  my  breath  away.  I lay 
stretched  upon  the  ground  like  a dead  man,  and  could  hear 
what  the  bystanders  were  saying.  Among  them  all,  Messer 
Antonio  Santacroce  lamented  greatly,  exclaiming  : “ Alas, 
alas  ! we  have  lost  the  best  defender  that  we  had.”  Attracted 
by  the  uproar,  one  of  my  comrades  ran  up  ; he  was  called 
Gianfrancesco,  and  was  a bandsman,  but  was  far  more  naturally 
given  to  medicine  than  to  music.  On  the  spot  he  flew  off, 
crying  for  a stoop  of  the  very  best  Greek  wine.  Then  he 
made  a tile  red-hot,  and  cast  upon  it  a good  handful  of  worm- 
wood ; after  which  he  sprinkled  the  Greek  wine  ; and  when 
the  wormwood  was  well  soaked,  he  laid  it  on  my  breast,  just 
where  the  bruise  was  visible  to  all.  Such  was  the  virtue  of 
the  wormwood  that  I immediately  regained  my  scattered 
faculties.  I wanted  to  begin  to  speak,  but  could  not ; for 
some  stupid  soldiers  had  filled  my  mouth  with  earth,  imagin- 
ing that  by  so  doing  they  were  giving  me  the  sacrament ; and 
indeed  they  were  more  like  to  have  excommunicated  me, 
since  I could  with  difficulty  come  to  myself  again,  the  earth 
doing  me  more  mischief  than  the  blow.  However,  I escaped 
that  danger,  and  returned  to  the  rage  and  fury  of  the  guns, 
pursuing  my  work  there  with  all  the  ability  and  eagerness 
that  I could  summon. 

Pope  Clement,  by  this,  had  sent  to  demand  assistance  from 
the  Duke  of  Urbino,  who  was  with  the  troops  of  Venice  ; he 


70 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


commissioned  the  envoy  to  tell  his  Excellency  that  the  Castle 
of  S.  Angelo  would  send  up  every  evening  three  beacons  from 
its  summit,  accompanied  by  three  discharges  of  the  cannon 
thrice  repeated,  and  that  so  long  as  this  signal  was  continued, 
he  might  take  for  granted  that  the  castle  had  not  yielded. 
I was  charged  with  lighting  the  beacons  and  firing  the  guns 
for  this  purpose  ; and  all  this  while  I pointed  my  artillery 
by  day  upon  the  places  where  mischief  could  be  done.  The 
Pope,  in  consequence,  began  to  regard  me  with  still  greater 
favour,  because  he  saw  that  I discharged  my  functions  as 
intelligently  as  the  task  demanded.  Aid  from  the  Duke  of 
Urbino  never  came  ; on  which,  as  it  is  not  my  business,  I 
will  make  no  further  comment.^ 


XXXVI 

While  I was  at  work  upon  that  diabolical  task  of  mine, 
there  came  from  time  to  time  to  watch  me  some  of  the 
cardinals  who  were  invested  in  the  castle  ; and  most  fre- 
quently the  Cardinal  of  Ravenna  and  the  Cardinal  de’  Gaddi.^ 
I often  told  them  not  to  show  themselves,  since  their  nasty 
red  caps  gave  a fair  mark  to  our  enemies.  From  neigh- 
bouring buildings,  such  as  the  Torre  de’  Bini,  we  ran  great 
peril  when  they  were  there  ; and  at  last  I had  them  locked 
off,  and  gained  thereby  their  deep  ill-will.  I frequently  re- 
ceived visits  also  from  the  general,  Orazio  Baglioni,  who  was 
very  well  affected  toward  me.  One  day  while  he  was  talking 
with  me,  he  noticed  something  going  forward  in  a drinking- 
place  outside  the  Porta  di  Castello,  which  bore  the  name  of 
Baccanello.  This , tavern  had  for  sign  a sun  painted  between 
two  windows,  of  a bright  red  colour.  The  windows  being 


^ Francesco  Maria  della  Rovere,  Duke  of  Urbino,  commanded  a consider- 
able army  as  general  of  the  Church,  and  was  now  acting  for  Venice.  Why  he 
effected  no  diversion  while  the  Imperial  troops  were  marching  upon  Rome,  and 
why  he  delayed  to  relieve  the  city,  was  never  properly  explained.  Folk  attri- 
buted his  impotent  conduct  partly  to  a natural  sluggishness  in  warfare,  and 
partly  to  his  hatred  for  the  house  of  Medici.  Leo  X.  had  deprived  him  of  his 
dukedom,  and  given  it  to  a Medicean  prince.  It  is  to  this  that  Cellini  pro- 
bably refers  in  the  cautious  phrase  which  ends  the  chapter. 

^ Benedetto  Accolti  of  Arezzo,  Archbishop  of  Ravenna  in  1524,  obtained 
the  hat  in  1527,  three  days  before  the  sack  of  Rome.  He  was  a distinguished 
man  of  letters.  Niccolo  Gaddi  was  created  Cardinal  on  the  same  day  as 
Accolti.  We  shall  hear  more  of  him  in  Cellini’s  pages. 


BOOK  FIRST 


73 


closed,  Signor  Orazio  concluded  that  a band  of  soldiers  were 
carousing  at  table  just  between  them  and  behind  the  sun. 
So  he  said  to  me  : “ Benvenuto,  if  you  think  that  you  could  hit 
that  wall  an  elFs  breadth  from  the  sun  with  your  demi-cannon 
here,  I believe  3^ou  would  be  doing  a good  stroke  of  business, 
for  there  is  a great  commotion  there,  and  men  of  much  im- 
portance must  probably  be  inside  the  house.”  I answered 
that  I felt  quite  capable  of  hitting  the  sun  in  its  centre,  but 
that  a barrel  full  of  stones,  which  was  standing  close  to  the 
muzzle  of  the  gun,  might  be  knocked  down  by  the  shock 
of  the  discharge  and  the  blast  of  the  artillery.  He  rejoined  : 
“ Don’t  waste  time,  Benvenuto.  In  the  first  place,  it  is  not 
possible,  where  it  is  standing,  that  the  cannon’s  blast  should 
bring  it  down  ; and  even  if  it  were  to  fall,  and  the  Pope 
himself  was  underneath,  the  mischief  would  not  be  so  great 
as  you  imagine.  Fire,  then,  only  fire  ! ” Taking  no  more 
thought  about  it,  I struck  the  sun  in  the  centre,  exactly  as  I 
said  I should.  The  cask  was  dislodged,  as  I predicted,  and 
fell  precisely  between  Cardinal  Farnese  and  Messer  Jacopo 
Salviati.^  It  might  very  well  have  dashed  out  the  brains  of 
both  of  them,  except  that  just  at  that  very  moment  Farnese 
was  reproaching  Salviati  with  having  caused  the  sack  of 
Rome,  and  while  they  stood  apart  from  one  another  to  ex- 
change opprobrious  remarks,  my  gabion  fell  without  destroy- 
ing them.  When  he  heard  the  uproar  in  the  court  below, 
good  Signor  Orazio  dashed  off  in  a hurry ; and  I,  thrusting  my 
neck  forward  where  the  cask  had  fallen,  heard  some  people 
saying  : “ It  would  not  be  a bad  job  to  kill  that  gunner ! ” 
Upon  this  I turned  two  falconets  toward  the  staircase,  with 
mind  resolved  to  let  blaze  on  the  first  man  who  attempted 
to  come  up.  The  household  of  Cardinal  Farnese  must  have 
received  orders  to  go  and  do  me  some  injury ; accordingly 
I prepared  to  receive  them,  with  a lighted  match  in  hand. 
Recognising  some  who  were  approaching,  I called  out : “You 
lazy  lubbers,  if  you  don’t  pack  off  from  there,  and  if  but  a 
man’s  child  among  you  dares  to  touch  the  staircase,  I have 
got  two  cannon  loaded,  which  will  blow  you  into  powder. 
Go  and  tell  the  Cardinal  that  I was  acting  at  the  order  of 
superior  officers,  and  that  what  we  have  done  and  are  doing 


^ Alessandro  Farnese,  Dean  of  the  Sacred  College,  and  afterwards  Pope 
Paul  III.  Of  Giacopo  Salviati  we  have  already  heard,  p.  lO. 


72 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


is  in  defence  of  them  priests/  and  not  to  hurt  them.^’  They 
made  away  ; and  then  came  Signor  Orazio  Baglioni,  running. 
I bade  him  stand  back,  else  Fd  murder  him  ; for  I knew  very 
well  who  he  was.  He  drew  back  a little,  not  without  a certain 
show  of  fear,  and  called  out : “ Benvenuto,  I am  your  friend  ! ” 
To  this  I answered  : “ Sir,  come  up,  but  come  alone,  and  then 
come  as  you  like.”  The  general,  who  was  a man  of  mighty 
pride,  stood  still  a moment,  and  then  said  angrily  : “ I have  a 
good  mind  not  to  come  up  again,  and  to  do  quite  the  opposite 
of  that  which  I intended  toward  you.”  I replied  that  just  as  I 
was  put  there  to  defend  my  neighbours,  I was  equally  well 
able  to  defend  myself  too.  He  said  that  he  was  coming 
alone  ; and  when  he  arrived  at  the  top  of  the  stairs,  his 
features  were  more  discomposed  than  I thought  reasonable. 
So  I kept  my  hand  upon  my  sword,  and  stood  eyeing  him 
askance.  Upon  this  he  began  to  laugh,  and  the  colour 
coming  back  into  his  face,  he  said  to  me  with  the  most 
pleasant  manner  : “ Friend  Benvenuto,  I bear  you  as  great 
love  as  I have  it  in  my  heart  to  give  ; and  in  God’s  good 
time  I will  render  you  proof  of  this.  Would  to  God  that 
you  had  killed  those  two  rascals  ; for  one  of  them  is  the 
cause  of  all  this  trouble,  and  the  day  perchance  will  come 
when  the  other  will  be  found  the  cause  of  something  even 
worse.”  He  then  begged  me,  if  I should  be  asked,  not  to 
say  that  he  was  with  me  when  I fired  the  gun  ; and  for  the 
rest  bade  me  be  of  good  cheer.  The  commotion  which  the 
affair  made  was  enormous,  and  lasted  a long  while.  How- 
ever, I will  not  enlarge  upon  it  further,  only  adding  that  I 
was  within  an  inch  of  revenging  my  father  on  Messer  Jacopo 
Salviati,  who  had  grievously  injured  him,  according  to  my 
father’s  frequent  complaints.  As  it  was,  unwittingly  I gave 
the  fellow  a great  fright.  Of  Farnese  I shall  say  nothing 
here,  because  it  will  appear  in  its  proper  place  how  well  it 
would  have  been  if  I had  killed  him. 


XXXVH 

I pursued  my  business  of  artilleryman,  and  every  day  per- 
formed some  extraordinary  feat,  whereby  the  credit  and  the 
favour  I acquired  with  the  Pope  was  something  indescribable. 
^ Loro  preti.  Perhaps  their  priests. 


BOOK  FIRST 


73 


There  never  passed  a day  but  what  I killed  one  or  another 
of  our  enemies  in  the  besieging  army.  On  one  occasion  the 
Pope  was  walking  round  the  circular  keep,^  when  he  observed 
a Spanish  Colonel  in  the  Prati ; he  recognised  the  man  by 
certain  indications,  seeing  that  this  officer  had  formerly  been 
in  his  service  ; and  while  he  fixed  his  eyes  on  him,  he  kept 
talking  about  him.  I,  above  by  the  Angel,  knew  nothing  of 
all  this,  but  spied  a fellow  down  there,  busying  himself  about 
the  trenches  with  a javelin  in  his  hand ; he  was  dressed  en- 
tirely in  rose-colour  ; and  so,  studying  the  worst  that  I could 
do  against  him,  I selected  a gerfalcon  which  I had  at  hand  ; 
it  is  a piece  of  ordnance  larger  and  longer  than  a swivel,  and 
about  the  size  of  a demi-culverin.  This  I emptied,  and  loaded 
it  again  with  a good  charge  of  fine  powder  mixed  with  the 
coarser  sort ; then  I aimed  it  exactly  at  the  man  in  red, 
elevating  prodigiously,  because  a piece  of  that  calibre  could 
hardly  be  expected  to  carry  true  at  such  a distance.  I fired, 
and  hit  my  man  exactly  in  the  middle.  He  had  trussed  his 
sword  in  front,^  for  swagger,  after  a way  those  Spaniards 
have  ; and  my  ball,  when  it  struck  him,  broke  upon  the  blade, 
and  one  could  see  the  fellow  cut  in  two  fair  halves.  The 
Pope,  who  was  expecting  nothing  of  this  kind,  derived  great 
pleasure  and  amazement  from  the  sight,  both  because  it 
seemed  to  him  impossible  that  one  should  aim  and  hit  the 
mark  at  such  a distance,  and  also  because  the  man  was  cut  in 
two,  and  he  could  not  comprehend  how  this  should  happen. 
He  sent  for  me,  and  asked  about  it.  I explained  all  the 
devices  I had  used  in  firing  ; but  told  him  that  why  the  man 
was  cut  in  halves,  neither  he  nor  I could  know.  Upon  my 
bended  knees  I then  besought  him  to  give  me  the  pardon  of 
his  blessing  for  that  homicide  ; and  for  all  the  others  I had 
committed  in  the  castle  in  the  service  of  the  Church.  Thereat 
the  Pope,  raising  his  hand,  and  making  a large  open  sign  of 
the  cross  upon  my  face,  told  me  that  he  blessed  me,  and  that 
he  gave  me  pardon  for  all  murders  I had  ever  perpetrated,  or 
should  ever  perpetrate,  in  the  service  of  the  Apostolic  Church. 
When  I left  him,  I went  aloft,  and  never  stayed  from  firing  to 
the  utmost  of  my  power  ; and  few  were  the  shots  of  mine 

^ The  Mastio  or  main  body  of  Hadrian’s  Mausoleum,  which  was  converted 
into  a fortress  during  the  Middle  Ages. 

^ S^aveva  messo  la  spada  dinanzi.  Perhaps  was  bearing  his  sword  in  front 
of  him. 


74 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


that  missed  their  mark.  My  drawing,  and  my  fine  studies  in 
my  craft,  and  my  charming  art  of  music,  all  were  swallowed 
up  in  the  din  of  that  artillery  ; and  if  I were  to  relate  in  detail 
all  the  splendid  things  I did  in  that  infernal  work  of  cruelty,  I 
should  make  the  world  stand  by  and  wonder.  But,  not  to 
be  too  prolix,  I will  pass  them  over.  Only  I must  tell  a few 
of  the  most  remarkable,  which  are,  as  it  were,  forced  in 
upon  me. 

To  begin  then  : pondering  day  and  night  what  I could 
render  for  my  own  part  in  defence  of  Holy  Church,  and 
having  noticed  that  the  enemy  changed  guard  and  marched 
past  through  the  great  gate  of  Santo  Spirito,  which  was  within 
a reasonable  range,  I thereupon  directed  my  attention  to  that 
spot  ; but,  having  to  shoot  sideways,  I could  not  do  the 
damage  that  I wished,  although  I killed  a fair  percentage 
every  day.  This  induced  our  adversaries,  when  they  saw 
their  passage  covered  by  my  guns,  to  load  the  roof  of  a 
certain  house  one  night  with  thirty  gabions,  which  obstructed 
the  view  I formerly  enjoyed.  Taking  better  thought  than  I had 
done  of  the  whole  situation,  I now  turned  all  my  five  pieces  of 
artillery  directly  on  the  gabions,  and  waited  till  the  evening 
hour,  when  they  changed  guard.  Our  enemies,  thinking  they 
were  safe,  came  on  at  greater  ease  and  in  a closer  body  than 
usual ; whereupon  I set  fire  to  my  blow-pipes.^  Not  merely 
did  I dash  to  pieces  the  gabions  which  stood  in  my  way  ; but, 
what  was  better,  by  that  one  blast  I slaughtered  more  than 
thirty  men.  In  consequence  of  this  manoeuvre,  which  I 
repeated  twice,  the  soldiers  were  thrown  into  such  disorder, 
that  being,  moreover,  encumbered  with  the  spoils  of  that 
great  sack,  and  some  of  them  desirous  of  enjoying  the  fruits 
of  their  labour,  they  oftentimes  showed  a mind  to  mutiny  and 
take  themselves  away  from  Rome.  However,  after  coming  to 
terms  with  their  valiant  captain,  Gian  di  Urbino,^  they  were 
ultimately  compelled,  at  their  excessive  inconvenience,  to 
take  another  road  when  they  changed  guard.  It  cost  them 
three  miles  of  march,  whereas  before  they  had  but  half  a mile. 
Having  achieved  this  feat,  I was  entreated  with  prodigious 

1 Soffioni,  the  cannon  being  like  tubes  to  blow  a fire  up. 

2 This  captain  was  a Spaniard,  who  played  a very  considerable  figure  in 
the  war,  distinguishing  himself  at  the  capture  of  Genoa  and  the  battle  of  Lodi 
in  1522,  and  afterwards  acting  as  Lieutenant-General  to  the  Prince  of  Orange. 
He  held  Naples  against  Orazio  Baglioni  in  1528,  and  died  before  Spello  in 

1529- 


BOOK  FIRST 


75 


favours  by  all  the  men  of  quality  who  were  invested  in  the 
castle.  This  incident  was  so  important  that  I thought  it  well 
to  relate  it,  before  finishing  the  history  of  things  outside  my 
art,  the  which  is  the  real  object  of  my  writing  ; forsooth,  if 
I wanted  to  ornament  my  biography  with  such  matters,  I 
should  have  far  too  much  to  tell.  There  is  only  one  more 
circumstance  which,  now  that  the  occasion  offers,  I propose 
to  record. 


XXXVIII 

I shall  skip  over  some  intervening  circumstances,  and  tell 
how  Pope  Clement,  wishing  to  save  the  tiaras  and  the  whole 
collection  of  the  great  jewels  of  the  Apostolic  Camera,  had 
me  called,  and  shut  himself  up  together  with  me  and  the 
Cavalierino  in  a room  alone. ^ This  Cavalierino  had  been  a 
groom  in  the  stable  of  Filippo  Strozzi ; he  was  French,  and  a 
person  of  the  lowest  birth  ; but  being  a most  faithful  ser- 
vant, the  Pope  had  made  him  very  rich,  and  confided  in 
him  like  himself.  So  the  Pope,  the  Cavaliere,  and  I,  being 
shut  up  together,  they  laid  before  me  the  tiaras  and  jewels 
of  the  regalia  ; and  his  Holiness  ordered  me  to  take  all  the 
gems  out  of  their  gold  settings.  This  I accordingly  did  ; 
afterwards  I wrapt  them  separately  up  in  bits  of  paper,  and 
we  sewed  them  into  the  linings  of  the  Pope’s  and  the  Cava- 
liere’s  clothes.  Then  they  gave  me  all  the  gold,  which 
weighed  about  two  hundred  pounds,  and  bade  me  melt  it 
down  as  secretly  as  I was  able.  I went  up  to  the  Angel, 
where  I had  my  lodging,  and  could  lock  the  door  so  as  to 
be  free  from  interruption.  There  I built  a little  draught- 
furnace  of  bricks,  with  a largish  pot,  shaped  like  an  open 
dish,  at  the  bottom  of  it  ; and  throwing  the  gold  upon  the 
coals,  it  gradually  sank  through  and  dropped  into  the  pan. 
While  the  furnace  was  Avorking,  I never  left  off  watching 
how  to  annoy  our  enemies  ; and  as  their  trenches  were  less 
than  a stone’s-throw  right  below  us,  I was  able  to  inflict 
considerable  damage  on  them  with  some  useless  missiles,’* 

1 This  personage  cannot  be  identified.  The  Filippo  Strozzi  mentioned  as 
having  been  his  master  was  the  great  opponent  of  the  Medicean  despotism, 
who  killed  himself  in  prison  after  the  defeat  of  Montemurlo  in  1539.  He 
married  in  early  life  a daughter  of  Piero  dc’  Medici. 

^ Passatojacci. 


76 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


of  which  there  were  several  piles,  forming  the  old  munition 
of  the  castle.  I chose  a swivel  and  a falconet,  which 
were  both  a little  damaged  in  the  muzzle,  and  filled  them 
with  the  projectiles  I have  mentioned.  When  I fired  my 
guns,  they  hurtled  down  like  mad,  occasioning  all  sorts  of 
unexpected  mischief  in  the  trenches.  Accordingly  I kept 
these  pieces  always  going  at  the  same  time  that  the  gold  was 
being  melted  down  ; and  a little  before  vespers  I noticed 
some  one  coming  along  the  margin  of  the  trench  on  mule- 
back.  The  mule  was  trotting  very  quickly,  and  the  man  was 
talking  to  the  soldiers  in  the  trenches.  I took  the  precaution 
of  discharging  my  artillery  just  before  he  came  immediately 
opposite  ; and  so,  making  a good  calculation,  I hit  my  mark. 
One  of  the  fragments  struck  him  in  the  face  ; the  rest  were 
scattered  on  the  mule,  which  fell  dead.  A tremendous  uproar 
rose  up  from  the  trench ; I opened  fire  with  my  other  piece, 
doing  them  great  hurt.  The  man  turned  out  to  be  the 
Prince  of  Orange,  who  was  carried  through  the  trenches  to 
a certain  tavern  in  the  neighbourhood,  whither  in  a short 
while  all  the  chief  folk  of  the  army  came  together. 

When  Pope  Clement  heard  what  I had  done,  he  sent 
at  once  to  call  for  me,  and  inquired  into  the  circumstance. 
I related  the  whole,  and  added  that  the  man  must  have  been 
of  the  greatest  consequence,  because  the  inn  to  which  they 
carried  him  had  been  immediately  filled  by  all  the  chiefs 
of  the  army,  so  far  at  least  as  I could  judge.  The  Pope, 
with  a shrewd  instinct,  sent  for  Messer  Antonio  Santacroce, 
the  nobleman  who,  as  I have  said,  was  chief  and  commander 
of  the  gunners.  He  bade  him  order  all  us  bombardiers  to 
point  our  pieces,  which  were  very  numerous,  in  one  mass 
upon  the  house,  and  to  discharge  them  all  together  upon 
the  signal  of  an  arquebuse  being  fired.  He  judged  that 
if  we  killed  the  generals,  the  army,  which  was  already  almost 
on  the  point  of  breaking  up,  would  take  to  flight.  God  per- 
haps had  heard  the  prayers  they  kept  continually  making, 
and  meant  to  rid  them  in  this  manner  of  those  impious 
scoundrels. 

V/e  put  our  cannon  in  order  at  the  command  of  Santacroce, 
and  waited  for  the  signal.  But  when  Cardinal  Orsini  ^ became 

^ Franciotto  Orsini  was  educated  in  the  household  of  his  kinsman  Lorenzo 
dc’  Medici.  He  followed  the  profession  of  arms,  and  married  ; but  after  losing 
his  wife  took  orders,  and  received  the  hat  in  1517. 


BOOK  FIRST 


77 


aware  of  what  was  going  forward,  he  began  to  expostulate 
with  the  Pope,  protesting  that  the  thing  by  no  means  ought 
to  happen,  seeing  they  were  on  the  point  of  concluding  an 
accommodation,  and  that  if  the  generals  were  killed,  the 
rabble  of  the  troops  without  a leader  would  storm  the  castle 
and  complete  their  utter  ruin.  Consequently  they  could  by  no 
means  allow  the  Pope’s  plan  to  be  carried  out.  The  poor 
Pope,  in  despair,  seeing  himself  assassinated  both  inside  the 
castle  and  without,  said  that  he  left  them  to  arrange  it. 
On  this,  our  orders  were  countermanded  ; but  I,  who  chafed 
against  the  leash,i  when  I knew  that  they  were  coming  round 
to  bid  me  stop  from  firing,  let  blaze  one  of  my  demi-cannons, 
and  struck  a pillar  in  the  courtyard  of  the  house,  around 
which  I saw  a crowd  of  people  clustering.  This  shot  did 
such  damage  to  the  enemy  that  it  was  like  to  have  made 
them  evacuate  the  house.  Cardinal  Orsini  was  absolutely  for 
having  me  hanged  or  put  to  death  ; but  the  Pope  took  up  my 
cause  with  spirit.  The  high  words  that  passed  between  them, 
though  I well  know  what  they  were,  I will  not  here  relate, 
because  I make  no  profession  of  writing  history.  It  is  enough 
for  me  to  occupy  myself  with  my  own  affairs. 


XXXIX 

After  I had  melted  down  the  gold,  I took  it  to  the  Pope, 
who  thanked  me  cordially  for  what  I had  done,  and  ordered 
the  Cavalierino  to  give  me  twenty-five  crowns,  apologising 
to  me  for  his  inability  to  give  me  more.  A few  days  after- 
wards the  articles  of  peace  were  signed.  I went  with  three 
hundred  comrades  in  the  train  of  Signor  Orazio  Baglioni 
toward  Perugia  ; and  there  he  wished  to  make  me  captain 
of  the  company,  but  I was  unwilling  at  the  moment,  saying 
that  I wanted  first  to  go  and  see  my  father,  and  to  redeem 
the  ban  which  was  still  in  force  against  me  at  Florence. 
Signor  Orazio  told  me  that  he  had  been  appointed  general 
of  the  Florentines ; and  Sir  Pier  Maria  del  Lotto,  the  envoy 
from  Florence,  was  with  him,  to  whom  he  specially  recom- 
mended me  as  his  man.^ 

^ lo  che  non  potevo  stare  alle  mosse. 

^ Pier  Maria  di  Lotto  of  S.  Miniato  was  notary  to  the  Florentine  Signoria. 
He  collected  the  remnants  of  the  Bande  Nere,  and  gave  them  over  to  Orazio 
Baglioni,  who  contrived  to  escape  from  S.  Angelo  in  safety  to  Perugia. 


78 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


In  course  of  time  I came  to  Florence  in  the  company  of 
several  comrades.  The  plague  was  raging  with  indescribable 
fury.  When  I reached  home,  I found  my  good  father,  who 
thought  either  that  I must  have  been  killed  in  the  sack  of 
Rome,  or  else  that  I should  come  back  to  him  a beggar. 
However,  I entirely  defeated  both  these  expectations  ; for 
I was  alive,  with  plenty  of  money,  a fellow  to  wait  on  me, 
and  a good  horse.  My  joy  on  greeting  the  old  man  was  so 
intense,  that,  while  he  embraced  and  kissed  me,  I thought 
that  I must  die  upon  the  spot.  After  I had  narrated  all  the 
devilries  of  that  dreadful  sack,  and  had  given  him  a good 
quantity  of  crowns  which  I had  gained  by  my  soldiering, 
and  when  we  had  exchanged  our  tokens  of  affection,  he 
went  off  to  the  Eight  to  redeem  my  ban.  It  so  happened 
that  one  of  those  magistrates  who  sentenced  me,  was  now 
again  a member  of  the  board.  It  was  the  very  man  who 
had  so  inconsiderately  told  my  father  he  meant  to  march 
me  out  into  the  country  with  the  lances.  My  father  took 
this  opportunity  of  addressing  him  with  some  meaning  words, 
in  order  to  mark  his  revenge,  relying  on  the  favour  which 
Orazio  Baglioni  showed  me. 

Matters  standing  thus,  I told  my  father  how  Signor  Orazio 
had  appointed  me  captain,  and  that  I ought  to  begin  to  think 
of  enlisting  my  company.  At  these  words  the  poor  old  man 
was  greatly  disturbed,  and  begged  me  for  God’s  sake  not  to 
turn  my  thoughts  to  such  an  enterprise,  although  he  knew  I 
should  be  fit  for  this  or  yet  a greater  business,  adding  that  his 
other  son,  my  brother,  was  already  a most  valiant  soldier,  and 
that  I ought  to  pursue  the  noble  art  in  which  I had  laboured 
so  many  years  and  with  such  diligence  of  study.  Although  I 
promised  to  obey  him,  he  reflected,  like  a man  of  sense,  that 
if  Signor  Orazio  came  to  Florence,  I could  not  withdraw 
myself  from  military  service,  partly  because  I had  passed  my 
word,  as  well  as  for  other  reasons.  He  therefore  thought 
of  a good  expedient  for  sending  me  away,  and  spoke  to  me 
as  follows;  “Oh,  my  dear  son,  the  plague  in  this  town  is 
raging  with  immitigable  violence,  and  I am  always  fancying 
you  will  come  home  infected  with  it.  I remember,  when  I 
was  a young  man,  that  I went  to  Mantua,  where  I was  very 
kindly  received,  and  stayed  there  several  years.  I pray  and 
command  you,  for  the  love  of  me,  to  pack  off  and  go  thither  ; 
and  I would  have  you  do  this  to-day  rather  than  to-morrow.” 


BOOK  FIRST 


79 


XL  ^ 

I had  always  taken  pleasure  in  seeing  the  world  ; and 
having  never  been  in  Mantua,  I went  there  very  willingly.  Of 
the  money  I had  brought  to  Florence,  I left  the  greater  part 
with  my  good  father,  promising  to  help  him  wherever  I might 
be,  and  confiding  him  to  the  care  of  my  elder  sister.  Her 
name  was  Cosa  ; and  since  she  never  cared  to  marry,  she  was 
admitted  as  a nun  in  Santa  Orsola ; but  she  put  off  taking  the 
veil,  in  order  to  keep  house  for  our  old  father,  and  to  look  after 
my  younger  sister,  who  was  married  to  one  Bartolommeo,  a 
surgeon.  So  then,  leaving  home  with  my  father’s  blessing,  I 
mounted  my  good  horse,  and  rode  off  on  it  to  Mantua. 

It  would  take  too  long  to  describe  that  little  journey  in  de- 
tail. The  whole  world  being  darkened  over  with  plague  and 
war,  I had  the  greatest  difficulty  in  reaching  Mantua.  How- 
ever, in  the  end,  I got  there,  and  looked  about  for  work  to  do, 
which  I obtained  from  a Maestro  Niccolo  of  Milan,  goldsmith 
to  the  Duke  of  Mantua.  Having  thus  settled  down  to  work,  I 
went  after  two  days  to  visit  Messer  Giulio  Romano,  that  most 
excellent  painter,  of  whom  I have  already  spoken,  and  my 
very  good  friend.  He  received  me  with  the  tenderest  caresses, 
and  took  it  very  ill  that  I had  not  dismounted  at  his  house. 
He  was  living  like  a lord,  and  executing  a great  work  for  the 
Duke  outside  the  city  gates,  in  a place  called  Del  Te.  It  was 
a vast  and  prodigious  undertaking,  as  may  still,  I suppose,  be 
seen  by  those  who  go  there.^ 

Messer  Giulio  lost  no  time  in  speaking  of  me  to  the  Duke 
in  terms  of  the  warmest  praise.^  That  Prince  commissioned 
me  to  make  a model  for  a reliquary,  to  hold  the  blood  of 
Christ,  which  they  have  there,  and  say  was  brought  them  by 
Longinus.  Then  he  turned  to  Giulio,  bidding  him  supply  me 
with  a design  for  it.  To  this  Giulio  replied  : My  lord,  Ben- 
venuto is  a man  who  does  not  need  other  people’s  sketches, 
as  your  Excellency  will  be  very  well  able  to  judge  when 
you  shall  see  his  model.”  I set  hand  to  the  work,  and  made 
a drawing  for  the  reliquary,  well  adapted  to  contain  the 

^ This  is  the  famous  Palazzo  del  Te,  outside  the  walls  of  Mantua.  It  still 
remains  the  chief  monument  of  Giulio  Romano’s  versatile  genius. 

^ Federigo  Gonzago  was  at  this  time  Marquis  of  Mantua.  Charles  V 
erected  his  fief  into  a duchy  in  1 530. 


8o 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


sacred  phial.  Then  I made  a little  waxen  model  of  the  cover. 
This  was  a seated  Christ,  supporting  his  great  cross  aloft 
with  the  left  hand,  while  he  seemed  to  lean  against  it,  and 
with  the  fingers  of  his  right  hand  he  appeared  to  be  open- 
ing the  wound  in  his  side.  When  it  was  finished,  it  pleased 
the  Duke  so  much  that  he  heaped  favours  on  me,  and  gave 
me  to  understand  that  he  would  keep  me  in  his  service  with 
such  appointments  as  should  enable  me  to  live  in  affluence. 

Meanwhile,  I had  paid  my  duty  to  the  Cardinal  his  brother, 
who  begged  the  Duke  to  allow  me  to  make  the  pontifical  seal 
of  his  most  reverend  lordship.^  This  I began  ; but  while  I 
was  working  at  it  I caught  a quartan  fever.  During  each 
access  of  this  fever  I was  thrown  into  delirium,  when  I cursed 
Mantua  and  its  master  and  whoever  stayed  there  at  his  own 
liking.  These  words  were  reported  to  the  Duke  by  the 
Milanese  goldsmith,  who  had  not  omitted  to  notice  that  the 
Duke  wanted  to  employ  me.  When  the  Prince  heard  the 
ravings  of  my  sickness,  he  flew  into  a passion  against  me  ; 
and  I being  out  of  temper  with  Mantua,  our  bad  feeling  was 
reciprocal.  The  seal  was  finished  after  four  months,  together 
with  several  other  little  pieces  I made  for  the  Duke  under  the 
name  of  the  Cardinal.  His  Reverence  paid  me  well,  and  bade 
me  return  to  Rome,  to  that  marvellous  city  where  we  had 
made  acquaintance. 

I quitted  Mantua  with  a good  sum  of  crowns,  and  reached 
Governo,  where  the  most  valiant  general  Giovanni  had  been 
killed.2  Here  I had  a slight  relapse  of  fever,  which  did  not 
interrupt  my  journey,  and  coming  now  to  an  end,  it  never 
returned  on  me  again.  When  I arrived  at  Florence,  I hoped 
to  find  my  dear  father,  and  knocking  at  the  door,  a hump- 
backed woman  in  a fury  showed  her  face  at  the  window  ; she 
drove  me  off  with  a torrent  of  abuse,  screaming  that  the  sight 
of  me  was  a consumption  to  her.  To  this  misshapen  hag  I 
shouted  : “ Ho  ! tell  me,  cross-grained  hunchback,  is  there  no 
other  face  to  see  here  but  your  ugly  visage  “No,  and  bad 
luck  to  you.”  Whereto  I answered  in  a loud  voice  : “ In  less 

^ Ercole  Gonzaga,  created  Cardinal  in  1527.  After  the  death  of  his  brother, 
Duke  Federigo,  he  governed  Mantua  for  sixteen  years  as  regent  for  his 
nephews,  and  became  famous  as  a patron  of  arts  and  letters.  He  died  at 
Trento  in  1563  while  presiding  over  the  Council  there,  in  the  pontificate  of 
Pius  IV. 

^ Giovanni  de’  Medici,  surnamed  Delle  Bande  Nere, 


Shield  and  Helmet  asckibed 


TO  Cellini, 


Palazzo  del  Bargcl/o,  Flore?n:e. 


Cup  asckibed  to  Cellini. 
Aflet'  a Drazviiig  at  Florence. 


' V- 


■I' 


BOOK  FIRST 


8i 


than  two  hours  may  it^  never  vex  us  more  ! ” Attracted  by 
this  dispute,  a neighbour  put  her  head  out,  from  whom  I 
learned  that  my  father  and  all  the  people  in  the  house  had  died 
of  the  plague.  As  I had  partly  guessed  it  might  be  so,  my 
grief  was  not  so  great  as  it  would  otherwise  have  been.  The 
woman  afterwards  told  me  that  only  my  sister  Liperata  had 
escaped,  and  that  she  had  taken  refuge  with  a pious  lady 
named  Mona  Andrea  de’  Bellacci.^ 

I took  my  way  from  thence  to  the  inn,  and  met  by  accident 
a very  dear  friend  of  mine,  Giovanni  Rigogli.  Dismounting 
at  his  house,  we  proceeded  to  the  piazza,  where  I received 
intelligence  that  my  brother  was  alive,  and  went  to  find  him 
at  the  house  of  a friend  of  his  called  Bertino  Aldobrandini. 
On  meeting,  we  made  demonstrations  of  the  most  passionate 
affection  ; for  he  had  heard  that  I was  dead,  and  I had  heard 
that  he  was  dead ; and  so  our  joy  at  embracing  one  another 
was  extravagant.  Then  he  broke  out  into  a loud  fit  of  laughter, 
and  said  : “ Come,  brother,  I will  take  you  where  Fm  sure 
you’d  never  guess  ! You  must  know  that  I have  given  our 
sister  Liperata  away  again  in  marriage,  and  she  holds  it  for 
absolutely  certain  that  you  are  dead.”  On  our  way  we  told 
each  other  all  the  wonderful  adventures  we  had  met  with  ; 
and  when  we  reached  the  house  where  our  sister  dwelt,  the 
surprise  of  seeing  me  alive  threw  her  into  a fainting  fit,  and 
she  fell  senseless  in  my  arms.  Had  not  my  brother  been 
present,  her  speechlessness  and  sudden  seizure  must  have 
made  her  husband  imagine  I was  some  one  different  from  a 
brother — as  indeed  at  first  it  did.  Cecchino,  however,  ex- 
plained matters,  and  busied  himself  in  helping  the  swooning 
woman,  who  soon  came  to.  Then,  after  shedding  some  tears 
for  father,  sister,  husband,  and  a little  son  whom  she  had 
lost,  she  began  to  get  the  supper  ready  ; and  during  our 
merry  meeting  all  that  evening  we  talked  no  more  about 
dead  folk,  but  rather  discoursed  gaily  about  weddings.  Thus, 
then,  with  gladness  and  great  enjoyment  we  brought  our 
supper- party  to  an  end. 

^ ig.,  your  ugly  visage. 

^ Carpani  states  that  between  May  and  November  1527  about  40,000  per- 
sons died  of  plague  in  Florence. 


F 


82 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


XLI 

On  the  entreaty  of  brother  and  sister,  I remained  at 
Florence,  though  my  own  inclination  led  me  to  return  to  Rome. 
The  dear  friend,  also,  who  had  helped  me  in  some  of  my 
earlier  troubles,  as  I have  narrated  (I  mean  Piero,  son  of 
Giovanni  Landi) — he  too  advised  me  to  make  some  sta}^  in 
Florence  ; for  the  Medici  were  in  exile,  that  is  to  say.  Signor 
Ippolito  and  Signor  Alessandro,  who  were  afterwards  respec- 
tively Cardinal  and  Duke  of  Florence  ; and  he  judged  it  would 
be  well  for  me  to  wait  and  see  what  happened.^ 

At  that  time  there  arrived  in  Florence  a Sienese,  called 
Girolamo  Marretti,  who  had  lived  long  in  Turkey  and  was 
a man  of  lively  intellect.  He  came  to  my  shop,  and  com- 
missioned me  to  make  a golden  medal  to  be  worn  in  the  hat. 
The  subject  was  to  be  Hercules  wrenching  the  lion’s  mouth. 
While  I was  working  at  this  piece,  Michel  Agnolo  Buonarroti 
came  oftentimes  to  see  it.  I had  spent  infinite  pains  upon 
the  design,  so  that  the  attitude  of  the  figure  and  the  fierce 
passion  of  the  beast  were  executed  in  quite  a different  style 
from  that  of  any  craftsman  who  had  hitherto  attempted  such 
groups.  This,  together  with  the  fact  that  the  special  branch 
of  art  was  totally  unknown  to  Michel  Agnolo,  made  the 
divine  master  give  such  praises  to  my  work  that  I felt  incred- 
ibly inspired  for  further  effort.  However,  I found  little  else 
to  do  but  jewel-setting  ; and  though  I gained  more  thus  than 
in  any  other  way,  yet  I was  dissatisfied,  for  I would  fain 
have  been  employed  upon  some  higher  task  than  that  of 
setting  precious  stones. 

Just  then  I met  with  Federigo  Ginori,  a young  man  of  a 
very  lofty  spirit.  He  had  lived  some  years  in  Naples,  and 
being  endowed  with  great  charms  of  person  and  presence, 
had  been  the  lover  of  a Neapolitan  princess.  He  wanted 
to  have  a medal  made,  with  Atlas  bearing  the  world  upon 

^ I may  remind  my  readers  that  the  three  Medici  of  the  ruling  house  were 
now  illegitimate.  Clement  VII.  was  the  bastard  son  of  Giuliano,  brother  of 
Lorenzo  the  Magnificent.  Ippolito,  the  Cardinal,  was  the  bastard  of  Giuliano, 
Duke  of  Nemours,  son  of  Lorenzo  the  Magnificent.  Alessandro  was  the  re- 
puted bastard  of  Lorenzo,  Duke  of  Urbino,  grandson  of  Lorenzo  the  Magnifi- 
cent. Alessandro  became  Duke  of  Florence,  and  after  poisoning  his  cousin 
Cardinal  Ippolito,  was  murdered  by  a distant  cousin,  Lorenzino  de’  Medici. 
In  this  way  the  male  line  of  Lorenzo  the  Magnificent  was  extinguished. 


BOOK  FIRST 


83 


his  shoulders,  and  applied  to  Michel  Agnolo  for  a design. 
Michel  Agnolo  made  this  answer  : “ Go  and  find  out  a young 
goldsmith  named  Benvenuto  ; he  will  serve  you  admirably, 
and  certainly  he  does  not  stand  in  need  of  sketches  by  me. 
However,  to  prevent  your  thinking  that  I want  to  save  myself 
the  trouble  of  so  slight  a matter,  I will  gladly  sketch  you  some- 
thing ; but  meanwhile  speak  to  Benvenuto,  and  let  him  also 
make  a model ; he  can  then  execute  the  better  of  the  two 
designs.”  Federigo  Ginori  came  to  me,  and  told  me  what 
he  wanted,  adding  thereto  how  Michel  Agnolo  had  praised 
me,  and  how  he  had  suggested  I should  make  a waxen  model 
while  he  undertook  to  supply  a sketch.  The  words  of  that 
great  man  so  heartened  me,  that  I set  myself  to  work  at  once 
with  eagerness  upon  the  model ; and  when  I had  finished  it,  a 
painter  who  was  intimate  with  Michel  Agnolo,  called  Giuliano 
Bugiardini,  brought  me  the  drawing  of  Atlas.^  On  the  same 
occasion  I showed  Giuliano  my  little  model  in  wax,  which 
was  very  different  from  Michel  Agnolo’s  drawing ; and 
Federigo,  in  concert  with  Bugiardini,  agreed  that  I should 
work  upon  my  model.  So  I took  it  in  hand,  and  when 
Michel  Agnolo  saw  it,  he  praised  me  to  the  skies.  This 
was  a figure,  as  I have  said,  chiselled  on  a plate  of  gold  ; 
Atlas  had  the  heaven  upon  his  back,  made  out  of  a crystal 
ball,  engraved  with  the  zodiac  upon  a field  of  lapis-lazuli. 
The  whole  composition  produced  an  indescribably  fine 
effect ; and  under  it  ran  the  legend  Summa  tulisse  juvat} 
Federigo  was  so  thoroughly  well  pleased  that  he  paid  me 
very  liberally.  Aluigi  Alamanni  was  at  that  time  in  Florence. 
Federigo  Ginori,  who  enjoyed  his  friendship,  brought  him 
often  to  my  workshop,  and  through  this  introduction  we 
became  very  intimate  together.^ 


XLII 

Pope  Clement  had  now  declared  war  upon  the  city  of 
Florence,  which  thereupon  was  put  in  a state  of  defence  ; 

^ This  painter  was  the  pupil  of  Bertoldo,  a man  of  simple  manners  and  of 
some  excellence  in  his  art.  The  gallery  at  Bologna  has  a fine  specimen  of  his 
painting.  Michel  Agnolo  delighted  in  his  society. 

^ Cellini  says  Summam. 

^ This  was  the  agreeable  didactic  poet  Luigi  Alamanni,  who  had  to  fly  from 
Florence  after  a conspiracy  against  Cardinal  Giulio  de’  Medici  in  1522.  He 


84 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


and  the  militia  being  organised  in  each  quarter  of  the  town, 
I too  received  orders  to  serve  in  my  turn.  I provided  my- 
self with  a rich  outfit,  and  went  about  with  the  highest  nobility 
of  Florence,  who  showed  a unanimous  desire  to  fight  for  the 
defence  of  our  liberties.  Meanwhile  the  speeches  which  are 
usual  upon  such  occasions  were  made  in  every  quarter  ; ^ the 
young  men  met  together  more  than  was  their  wont,  and  every- 
where we  had  but  one  topic  of  conversation. 

It  happened  one  day,  about  noon,  that  a crowd  of  tall  men 
and  lusty  young  fellows,  the  first  in  the  city,  were  assembled 
in  my  workshop,  when  a letter  from  R®me  was  put  into  my 
hands.  It  came  from  a man  called  Maestro  Giacopino  della 
Barca.  His  real  name  was  Giacopo  della  Sciorina,  but  they 
called  him  della  Barca  in  Rome,  because  he  kept  a ferry 
boat  upon  the  Tiber  between  Ponte  Sisto  and  Ponte  Santo 
Agnolo.  He  was  a person  of  considerable  talent,  distin- 
guished by  his  pleasantries  and  striking  conversation,  and 
he  had  formerly  been  a designer  of  patterns  for  the  cloth- 
weavers  in  Florence.  This  man  was  intimate  with  the  Pope, 
who  took  great  pleasure  in  hearing  him  talk.  Being  one  day 
engaged  in  conversation,  they  touched  upon  the  sack  and 
the  defence  of  the  castle.  This  brought  me  to  the  Pope’s 
mind,  and  he  spoke  of  me  in  the  very  highest  terms,  adding 
that  if  he  knew  where  I was,  he  should  be  glad  to  get  me 
back.  Maestro  Giacopo  said  I was  in  Florence ; whereupon 
the  Pope  bade  the  man  write  and  tell  me  to  return  to  him. 
The  letter  I have  mentioned  was  to  the  effect  that  I should 
do  well  if  I resumed  the  service  of  Clement,  and  that  this 
was  sure  to  turn  out  to  my  advantage. 

The  young  men  who  were  present  were  curious  to  know 
what  the  letter  contained  ; wherefore  I concealed  it  as  well 
as  I could.  Afterwards  I wrote  to  Maestro  Giacopo,  begging 
him  by  no  means,  whether  for  good  or  evil,  to  write  to  me 
again.  He  however  grew  more  obstinate  in  his  officiousness, 
and  wrote  me  another  letter,  so  extravagantly  worded,  that 
if  it  had  been  seen,  I should  have  got  into  serious  trouble. 
The  substance  of  it  was  that  the  Pope  required  me  to  come 
at  once,  wanting  to  employ  me  on  work  of  the  greatest 

could  never’reconcile  himself  to  the  Medicean  tyranny,  and  finally  took  refuge 
in  France,  where  he  was  honoured  by  Fran9ois  I.  He  died  at  Amboise  in 
1556. 

1 Fecesi  quelle  orazioni.  It  may  mean  ‘'the  prayers  were  offered  up.” 


BOOK  FIRST 


85 


consequence  ; also  that  if  I wished  to  act  aright,  I ought 
to  throw  up  everything,  and  not  to  stand  against  a Pope  in 
the  party  of  those  hare-brained  Radicals.  This  letter,  when 
I read  it,  put  me  in  such  a fright,  that  I went  to  seek  my  dear 
friend  Piero  Landi.  Directly  he  set  eyes  on  me,  he  asked 
what  accident  had  happened  to  upset  me  so.  I told  my 
friend  that  it  was  quite  impossible  for  me  to  explain  what 
lay  upon  my  mind,  and  what  was  causing  me  this  trouble  ; 
only  I entreated  him  to  take  the  keys  I gave  him,  and  to 
return  the  gems  and  gold  in  my  drawers  to  such  and  such 
persons,  whose  names  he  would  find  inscribed  upon  my 
memorandum-book ; next,  I begged  him  to  pack  up  the 
furniture  of  my  house,  and  keep  account  of  it  with  his  usual 
loving-kindness  ; and  in  a few  days  he  should  hear  where  I 
was.  The  prudent  young  man,  guessing  perhaps  pretty 
nearly  how  the  matter  stood,  replied : “ My  brother,  go 
your  ways  quickly  ; then  write  to  me,  and  have  no  further 
care  about  your  things.”  I did  as  he  advised.  He  was  the 
most  loyal  friend,  the  wisest,  the  most  worthy,  the  most 
discreet,  the  most  affectionate  that  I have  ever  known.  I 
left  Florence  and  went  to  Rome,  and  from  there  I wrote 
to  him.i 


XLIII 

Upon  my  arrival  in  Rome,  I found  several  of  my  former 
friends,  by  whom  I was  very  well  received  and  kindly  enter- 
tained. No  time  was  lost  before  I set  myself  to  work  at 
things  which  brought  me  profit,  but  were  not  notable  enough 
to  be  described.  There  was  a fine  old  man,  a goldsmith, 
called  Raffaello  del  Moro,  who  had  considerable  reputation 
in  the  trade,  and  was  to  boot  a very  worthy  fellow.  He 
begged  me  to  consent  to  enter  his  workshop,  saying  he  had 
some  commissions  of  importance  to  execute,  on  which  high 
profits  might  be  looked  for  ; so  I accepted  his  proposal  with 
good-will. 

^ Cellini  has  been  severely  taxed  for  leaving  Florence  at  this  juncture  and 
taking  service  under  Pope  Clement,  the  oppressor  of  her  liberties.  His  own 
narrative  admits  some  sense  of  shame.  Yet  we  should  remember  that  he 
never  took  any  decided  part  in  politics,  and  belonged  to  a family  of  Medicean 
sympathies.  His  father  served  Lorenzo  and  Piero  ; his  brother  was  a soldier 
of  Giovanni  delle  Bande  Nere  and  Duke  Alessandro.  Many  most  excellent 
Florentines  were  convinced  that  the  Medicean  government  was  beneficial ; 
and  an  artist  had  certainly  more  to  expect  from  it  than  from  the  Republic. 


86 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


More  than  ten  days  had  elapsed,  and  I had  not  presented 
myself  to  Maestro  Giacopino  della  Barca.  Meeting  me  one 
day  by  accident,  he  gave  me  a hearty  welcome,  and  asked 
me  how  long  I had  been  in  Rome.  When  I told  him  I 
had  been  there  about  a fortnight,  he  took  it  very  ill,  and 
said  that  I showed  little  esteem  for  a Pope  who  had  urgently 
compelled  him  to  write  three  times  for  me.  I,  who  had 
taken  his  persistence  in  the  matter  still  more  ill,  made  no 
reply,  but  swallowed  down  my  irritation.  The  man,  who 
suffered  from  a flux  of  words,  began  one  of  his  long  yarns, 
and  went  on  talking,  till  at  the  last,  when  I saw  him  tired  out, 
I merely  said  that  he  might  bring  me  to  the  Pope  when  he 
saw  fit.  He  answered  that  any  time  would  do  for  him  ; and 
I,  that  I was  always  ready.  So  we  took  our  way  toward  the 
palace.  It  was  a Maundy  Thursday  ; and  when  we  reached 
the  apartments  of  the  Pope,  he  being  known  there  and  I 
expected,  we  were  at  once  admitted. 

The  Pope  was  in  bed,  suffering  from  a slight  indisposition, 
and  he  had  with  him  Messer  Jacopo  Salviati  and  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Capua.i  When  the  Pope  set  eyes  on  me,  he  was 
exceedingly  glad.  I kissed  his  feet,  and  then,  as  humbly 
as  I could,  drew  near  to  him,  and  let  him  understand  that 
I had  things  of  consequence  to  utter.  On  this  he  waved 
his  hand,  and  the  two  prelates  retired  to  a distance  from  us. 
I began  at  once  to  speak  : “ Most  blessed  Father,  from  the 
time  of  the  sack  up  to  this  hour,  I have  never  been  able  to 
confess  or  to  communicate,  because  they  refuse  me  absolu- 
tion. The  case  is  this.  When  I melted  down  the  gold 
and  worked  at  the  unsetting  of  those  jewels,  your  Holiness 
ordered  the  Cavalierino  to  give  me  a modest  reward  for  my 
labours,  of  which  I received  nothing,  but  on  the  contrary 
he  rather  paid  me  with  abuse.  When  then  I ascended  to 
the  chamber  where  I had  melted  down  the  gold,  and  washed 
the  ashes,  I found  about  a pound  and  a half  of  gold  in  tiny 
grains  like  millet-seeds  ; and  inasmuch  as  I had  not  money 
enough  to  take  me  home  respectably,  I thought  I would 
avail  myself  of  this,  and  give  it  back  again  when  opportunity 
should  offer.  Now  I am  here  at  the  feet  of  your  Holiness, 
who  is  the  only  true  confessor.  I entreat  you  to  do  me 

^ Nicolas  Schomberg,  a learned  Dominican  and  disciple  of  Savonarola, 
made  Archbishop  of  Capua  in  1 520.  He  was  a faithful  and  able  minister  of 
Clement.  Paul  III.  gave  him  the  hat  in  1535,  ^e  died  in  1537. 


BOOK  FIRST 


87 


the  favour  of  granting  me  indulgence,  so  that  I may  be  able 
to  confess  and  communicate,  and  by  the  grace  of  your 
Holiness  regain  the  grace  of  my  Lord  God/’  Upon  this 
the  Pope,  with  a scarcely  perceptible  sigh,  remembering 
perhaps  his  former  trials,  spoke  as  follows  : “ Benvenuto,  I 
thoroughly  believe  what  you  tell  me  ; it  is  in  my  power  to 
absolve  you  of  any  unbecoming  deed  you  may  have  done, 
and,  what  is  more,  I have  the  will.  So,  then,  speak  out 
with  frankness  and  perfect  confidence  ; for  if  you  had  taken 
the  value  of  a whole  tiara,  I am  quite  ready  to  pardon  you.” 
Thereupon  I answered : “ I took  nothing,  most  blessed 
Father,  but  what  I have  confessed  ; and  this  did  not  amount 
to  the  value  of  140  ducats,  for  that  was  the  sum  I received 
from  the  Mint  in  Perugia,  and  with  it  I went  home  to  com- 
fort my  poor  old  father.”  The  Pope  said:  “Your  father 
has  been  as  virtuous,  good,  and  worthy  a man  as  was  ever 
born,  and  you  have  not  degenerated  from  him.  I am  very 
sorry  that  the  money  was  so  little  ; but  such  as  you  say  it 
was,  I make  you  a present  of  it,  and  give  you  my  full  pardon. 
Assure  your  confessor  of  this,  if  there  is  nothing  else  upon 
your  conscience  which  concerns  me.  Afterwards,  when  you 
have  confessed  and  communicated,  you  shall  present  your- 
self to  me  again,  and  it  will  be  to  your  advantage.” 

When  I parted  from  the  Pope,  Messer  Giacopo  and  the 
Archbishop  approached,  and  the  Pope  spoke  to  them  in  the 
highest  terms  imaginable  about  me  ; he  said  that  he  had 
confessed  and  absolved  me ; then  he  commissioned  the 
Archbishop  of  Capua  to  send  for  me  and  ask  if  I had  any 
other  need  beyond  this  matter,  giving  him  full  leave  to 
absolve  me  amply,  and  bidding  him,  moreover,  treat  me  with 
the  utmost  kindness. 

While  I was  walking  away  with  Maestro  Giacopino,  he 
asked  me  very  inquisitively  what  was  the  close  and  lengthy 
conversation  I had  had  with  his  Holiness.  After  he  had 
repeated  the  question  more  than  twice,  I said  that  I did 
not  mean  to  tell  him,  because  they  were  matters  with  which 
he  had  nothing  to  do,  and  therefore  he  need  not  go  on  asking 
me.  Then  I went  to  do  what  had  been  agreed  on  with 
the  Pope  ; and  after  the  two  festivals  were  over,  I again 
presented  myself  before  his  Holiness.  He  received  me  even 
better  than  before,  and  said  : “ If  you  had  come  a little  earlier 
to  Rome,  I should  have  commissioned  you  to  restore  my  two 


88 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


tiaras,  which  were  pulled  to  pieces  in  the  castle.  These, 
however,  with  the  exception  of  the  gems,  are  objects  of  little 
artistic  interest ; so  I will  employ  you  on  a piece  of  the  very 
greatest  consequence,  where  you  will  be  able  to  exhibit  all 
your  talents.  It  is  a button  for  my  priest’s  cope,  which  has 
to  be  made  round  like  a trencher,  and  as  big  as  a little 
trencher,  one-third  of  a cubit  wide.  Upon  this  I want  you 
to  represent  a God  the  Father  in  half-relief,  and  in  the  middle 
to  set  that  magnificent  big  diamond,  which  you  remember, 
together  with  several  other  gems  of  the  greatest  value. 
Caradosso  began  to  make  me  one,  but  did  not  finish  it ; I 
want  yours  to  be  finished  quickly,  so  that  I may  enjoy  the 
use  of  it  a little  while.  Go,  then,  and  make  me  a fine  model.” 
He  had  all  the  jewels  shown  me,  and  then  I went  off  like  a 
shot^  to  set  myself  to  work. 


XLIV 

During  the  time  when  Florence  was  besieged,  Federigo 
Ginori,  for  whom  I made  that  medal  of  Atlas,  died  of  con- 
sumption, and  the  medal  came  into  the  hands  of  Messer 
Luigi  Alamanni,  who,  after  a little  while,  took  it  to  present 
in  person  to  Francis,  king  of  France,  accompanied  by  some 
of  his  own  finest  compositions.  The  King  was  exceedingly 
delighted  with  the  gift  ; whereupon  Messer  Luigi  told  his 
Majesty  so  much  about  my  personal  qualities,  as  well  as  my 
art,  and  spoke  so  favourably,  that  the  King  expressed  a wish 
to  know  me. 

Meanwhile  I pushed  my  model  for  the  button  forward 
with  all  the  diligence  I could,  constructing  it  exactly  of  the 
size  which  the  jewel  itself  was  meant  to  have.  In  the  trade 
of  the  goldsmiths  it  roused  considerable  jealousy  among 
those  who  thought  that  they  were  capable  of  matching  it.  A 
certain  Micheletto  had  just  come  to  Rome  U he  was  very 
clever  at  engraving  cornelians,  and  was,  moreover,  a most 
intelligent  jeweller,  an  old  man  and  of  great  celebrity.  He 
had  been  employed  upon  the  Pope’s  tiaras  ; and  while  I was 
working  at  my  model,  he  wondered  much  that  I had  not 
applied  to  him,  being  as  he  was  a man  of  intelligence  and  of 

^ Affusolato,  Lit.,  straight  as  a spindle. 

Vasari  calls  this  eminent  engraver  of  gems  Michelino. 


BOOK  FIRST 


89 


large  credit  with  the  Pope.  At  last,  when  he  saw  that  I was 
not  coming  to  him,  he  came  to  me,  and  asked  me  what  I 
was  about.  “What  the  Pope  has  ordered  me,’^  I answered. 
Then  he  said  : “ The  Pope  has  commissioned  me  to  super- 
intend everything  which  is  being  made  for  his  Holiness.”  I 
only  replied  that  I would  ask  the  Pope,  and  then  should 
know  what  answer  I ought  to  give  him.  He  told  me  that  I 
should  repent,  and  departing  in  anger,  had  an  interview  with 
all  the  masters  of  the  art ; they  deliberated  on  the  matter,  and 
charged  Michele  with  the  conduct  of  the  whole  affair.  As 
was  to  be  expected  from  a person  of  his  talents,  he  ordered 
more  than  thirty  drawings  to  be  made,  all  differing  in  their 
details,  for  the  piece  the  Pope  had  commissioned. 

Having  already  access  to  his  Holiness^s  ear,  he  took  into 
his  counsel  another  jeweller,  named  Pompeo,  a Milanese,  who 
was  in  favour  with  the  Pope,  and  related  to  Messer  Traiano, 
the  first  chamberlain  of  the  court ; ^ these  two  together,  then, 
began  to  insinuate  that  they  had  seen  my  model,  and  did  not 
think  me  up  to  a work  of  such  extraordinary  import.  The 
Pope  replied  that  he  would  also  have  to  see  it,  and  that  if  he 
then  found  me  unfit  for  the  purpose,  he  should  look  around 
for  one  who  was  fit.  Both  of  them  put  in  that  they  had 
several  excellent  designs  ready  ; to  which  the  Pope  made 
answer,  that  he  was  very  pleased  to  hear  it,  but  that  he  did 
not  care  to  look  at  them  till  I had  completed  my  model ; 
afterwards,  he  would  take  them  all  into  consideration  at  the 
same  time. 

After  a few  days  I finished  my  model,  and  took  it  to  the 
Pope  one  morning,  when  Messer  Traiano  made  me  wait  till 
he  had  sent  for  Micheletto  and  Pompeo,  bidding  them  make 
haste  and  bring  their  drawings.  On  their  arrival  we  were 
introduced,  and  Micheletto  and  Pompeo  immediately  unrolled 
their  papers,  which  the  Pope  inspected.  The  draughtsmen 
who  had  been  employed  were  not  in  the  jeweller’s  trade, 
and  therefore  knew  nothing  about  giving  their  right  place 
to  precious  stones;  and  the  jewellers,  on  their  side,  had  not 
shown  them  how ; for  I ought  to  say  that  a jeweller,  when 
he  has  to  work  with  figures,  must  of  necessity  understand 
design,  else  he  cannot  produce  an5dhing  worth  looking  at : 
and  so  it  turned  out  that  all  of  them  had  stuck  that  famous 


^ Messer  Traiano  Alicorno. 


90 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


diamond  in  the  middle  of  the  breast  of  God  the  Father. 
The  Pope,  who  was  an  excellent  connoisseur,  observing 
this  mistake,  approved  of  none  of  them ; and  when  he  had 
looked  at  about  ten,  he  flung  the  rest  down,  and  said  to  me, 
who  was  standing  at  a distance  ; “ Now  show  me  your  model, 
Benvenuto,  so  that  I may  see  if  you  have  made  the  same  mis- 
take as  those  fellows.”  I came  forward,  and  opened  a little 
round  box ; whereupon  one  would  have  thought  that  a light 
from  heaven  had  struck  the  Pope’s  eyes.  He  cried  aloud  : 
“ If  you  had  been  in  my  own  body,  you  could  not  have  done 
it  better,  as  this  proves.  Those  men  there  have  found  the 
right  way  to  bring  shame  upon  themselves  ! ” A crowd  of 
great  lords  pressing  round,  the  Pope  pointed  out  the  differ- 
ence between  my  model  and  the  drawings.  When  he  had 
sufficiently  commended  it,  the  others  standing  terrified  and 
stupid  before  him,  he  turned  to  me  and  said  ; “I  am  only 
afraid  of  one  thing,  and  that  is  of  the  utmost  consequence. 
Friend  Benvenuto,  wax  is  easy  to  work  in ; the  real  diffi- 
culty is  to  execute  this  in  gold.”  To  those  words  I answered 
without  a moment’s  hesitation  : “ Most  blessed  Father,  if  I 
do  not  work  it  ten  times  better  than  the  model,  let  it  be 
agreed  beforehand  that  you  pay  me  nothing.”  When  they 
heard  this,  the  noblemen  made  a great  stir,  crying  out  that 
I was  promising  too  much.  Among  them  was  an  eminent 
philosopher,  who  spoke  out  in  my  favour  : “ From  the  fine 
physiognomy  and  bodily  symmetry  which  I observe  in  this 
young  man,  I predict  that  he  will  accomplish  what  he  says, 
and  think  that  he  will  even  go  beyond  it.”  The  Pope  put 
in:  “And  this  is  my  opinion  also.”  Then  he  called  his 
chamberlain,  Messer  Traiano,  and  bade  him  bring  five  hun- 
dred golden  ducats  of  the  Camera. 

While  we  were  waiting  for  the  money,  the  Pope  turned 
once  more  to  gaze  at  leisure  on  the  dexterous  device  I had 
employed  for  combining  the  diamond  with  the  figure  of  God 
the  Father.  I had  put  the  diamond  exactly  in  the  centre  of 
the  piece ; and  above  it  God  the  Father  was  shown  seated, 
leaning  nobly  in  a sideways  attitude,^  which  made  a perfect 
composition,  and  did  not  interfere  with  the  stone’s  effect. 
Lifting  his  right  hand,  he  was  in  the  act  of  giving  the  bene- 
diction. Below  the  diamond  I had  placed  three  children. 

In  im  certo  bel  modo  svolto.  That  means  : turned  aside,  not  fronting  the 
spectator. 


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91 


who,  with  their  arms  upraised,  were  supporting  the  jewel. 
One  of  them,  in  the  middle,  was  in  full  relief,  the  other  two 
in  half-relief.  All  round  I set  a crowd  of  cherubs,  in  divers 
attitudes,  adapted  to  the  other  gems.  A mantle  undulated 
to  the  wind  around  the  figure  of  the  Father,  from  the  folds 
of  which  cherubs  peeped  out;  and  there  were  other  orna- 
ments besides  which  made  a very  beautiful  effect.  The  work 
was  executed  in  white  stucco  on  a black  stone.  When  the 
money  came,  the  Pope  gave  it  me  with  his  own  hand,  and 
begged  me  in  the  most  winning  terms  to  let  him  have  it 
finished  in  his  own  days,  adding  that  this  should  be  to  my 
advantage. 


XLV 

I took  the  money  and  the  model  home,  and  was  in  the 
utmost  impatience  to  begin  my  work.  After  I had  laboured 
diligently  for  eight  days,  the  Pope  sent  word  by  one  of  his 
chamberlains,  a very  great  gentleman  of  Bologna,  that  I was 
to  come  to  him  and  bring  what  I had  got  in  hand.  On  the 
way,  the  chamberlain,  who  was  the  most  gentle- mannered 
person  in  the  Roman  court,  told  me  that  the  Pope  not  only 
wanted  to  see  what  I was  doing,  but  also  intended  to  intrust 
me  with  another  task  of  the  highest  consequence,  which 
was,  in  fact,  to  furnish  dies  for  the  money  of  the  Mint ; 
and  bade  me  arm  myself  beforehand  with  the  answer  I 
should  give  ; in  short,  he  wished  me  to  be  prepared,  and 
therefore  he  had  spoken.  When  we  came  into  the  presence, 
I lost  no  time  in  exhibiting  the  golden  plate,  upon  which  I 
had  as  yet  carved  nothing  but  my  figure  of  God  the  Father  ; 
but  this,  though  only  in  the  rough,  displayed  a grander  style 
than  that  of  the  waxen  model.  The  Pope  regarded  it  with 
stupefaction,  and  exclaimed  : “ From  this  moment  forward 
I will  believe  everything  you  say.^^  Then  loading  me  with 
marks  of  favour,  he  added  : “ It  is  my  intention  to  give  you 
another  commission,  which,  if  you  feel  competent  to  execute 
it,  I shall  have  no  less  at  heart  than  this,  or  more.”  He 
proceeded  to  tell  me  that  he  wished  to  make  dies  for  the 
coinage  of  his  realm,  and  asked  me  if  I had  ever  tried  my 
hand  at  such  things,  and  if  I had  the  courage  to  attempt 
them.  I answered  that  of  courage  for  the  task  I had  no 
lack,  and  that  I had  seen  how  dies  were  made,  but  that  I 


92 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


had  not  ever  made  any.  There  was  in  the  presence  a certain 
Messer  Tommaso,  of  Prato,  his  Holiness’s  Datary  p and  this 
man,  being  a friend  of  my  enemies,  put  in  : “ Most  blessed 
Father,  the  favours  you  are  showering  upon  this  young  man 
(and  he  by  nature  so  extremely  overbold)  are  enough  to 
make  him  promise  you  a new  world.  You  have  already 
given  him  one  great  task,  and  now,  by  adding  a greater, 
you  are  like  to  make  them  clash  together.”  The  Pope,  in 
a rage,  turned  round  on  him,  and  told  him  to  mind  his  own 
business.  Then  he  commanded  me  to  make  the  model  for 
a broad  doubloon  of  gold,  upon  which  he  wanted  a naked 
Christ  with  his  hands  tied,  and  the  inscription  Ecce  Homo ; 
the  reverse  was  to  have  a Pope  and  Emperor  in  the  act 
together  of  propping  up  a cross  which  seemed  to  fall,  and 
this  legend  : Unus  spiritus  et  una  fides  erat  in  eis. 

After  the  Pope  had  ordered  this  handsome  coin,  Bandinello 
the  sculptor  came  up  ; he  had  not  yet  been  made  a knight ; 
and,  with  his  wonted  presumption  muffled  up  in  ignorance, 
said  : “For  these  goldsmiths  one  must  make  drawings  for 
such  fine  things  as  that.”  I turned  round  upon  him  in  a 
moment,  and  cried  out  that  I did  not  want  his  drawings  for 
my  art,  but  that  I hoped  before  very  long  to  give  his  art  some 
trouble  by  my  drawings.  The  Pope  expressed  high  satis- 
faction at  these  words,  and  turning  to  me  said  : “ Go  then,  my 
Benvenuto,  and  devote  yourself  with  spirit  to  my  service, 
and  do  not  lend  an  ear  to  the  chattering  of  these  silly 
fellows.” 

So  I went  off,  and  very  quickly  made  two  dies  of  steel ; then 
I stamped  a coin  in  gold,  and  one  Sunday  after  dinner  took  the 
coin  and  the  dies  to  the  Pope,  who,  when  he  saw  the  piece, 
was  astonished  and  greatly  gratified,  not  only  because  my  work 
pleased  him  excessively,  but  also  because  of  the  rapidity  with 
which  I had  performed  it.  For  the  further  satisfaction  and 
amazement  of  his  Holiness,  I had  brought  with  me  all  the  old 
coins  which  in  former  times  had  been  made  by  those  able  men 
who  served  Popes  Giulio  and  Leo  ; and  when  I noticed  that 
mine  pleased  him  far  better,  I drew  forth  from  my  bosom  a 

^ His  full  name  was  Tommaso  Cortese.  The  Papal  Datario  was  the  chief 
secretary  of  the  office  for  requests,  petitions,  and  patents.  His  title  was 
derived  from  its  being  his  duty  to  affix  the  Datum  Romcz  to  documents.  The 
fees  of  this  office,  which  was  also  called  Datario,  brought  in  a large  revenue 
to  the  Papacy. 


BOOK  FIRST 


93 


patent/  in  which  I prayed  for  the  post  of  stamp- master  ^ in  the 
Mint.  This  place  was  worth  six  golden  crowns  a month,  in 
addition  to  the  dies,  which  were  paid  at  the  rate  of  a ducat  for 
three  by  the  Master  of  the  Mint.  The  Pope  took  my  patent 
and  handed  it  to  the  Datary,  telling  him  to  lose  no  time  in  dis- 
patching the  business.  The  Datary  began  to  put  it  in  his 
pocket,  saying : “ Most  blessed  Father,  your  Holiness  ought 
not  to  go  so  fast ; these  are  matters  which  deserve  some  re- 
flection.^^ To  this  the  Pope  replied  : “ I have  heard  what  you 
have  got  to  say  ; give  me  here  that  patent.”  He  took  it,  and 
signed  it  at  once  with  his  own  hand  ; then,  giving  it  back, 
added  : “ Now,  you  have  no  answer  left  ; see  that  you  dispatch 
it  at  once,  for  this  is  my  pleasure  ; and  Benvenuto’s  shoes  are 
worth  more  than  the  eyes  of  all  those  other  blockheads.”  So, 
having  thanked  his  Holiness,  I went  back,  rejoicing  above 
measure,  to  my  work. 


XLVI 

1 was  still  working  in  the  shop  of  Raffaello  del  Moro. 
This  worthy  man  had  a very  beautiful  young  daughter,  with 
regard  to  whom  he  had  designs  on  me ; and  I,  becoming 
partly  aware  of  his  intentions,  was  very  willing ; but,  while 
indulging  such  desires,  I made  no  show  of  them  : on  the 
contrary,  I was  so  discreet  in  my  behaviour  that  I made  him 
wonder.  It  so  happened  that  the  poor  girl  was  attacked  by  a 
disorder  in  her  right  hand,  which  ate  into  the  two  bones 
belonging  to  the  little  Anger  and  the  next.®  Owing  to  her 
father’s  carelessness,  she  had  been  treated  by  an  ignorant 
quack-doctor,  who  predicted  that  the  poor  child  would  be 
crippled  in  the  whole  of  her  right  arm,  if  even  nothing  worse 
should  happen.  When  I noticed  the  dismay  of  her  father,  I 
begged  him  not  to  believe  all  that  this  ignorant  doctor  had 
said.  He  replied  that  he  had  no  acquaintance  with  phy- 
sicians or  with  surgeons,  and  entreated  me,  if  I knew  of 
one,  to  bring  him  to  the  house."*  I sent  at  once  for  a certain 
Maestro  Giacomo  of  Perugia,  a man  of  great  skill  in  surgery, 

Moto  propio.  Cellini  confuses  his  petition  with  the  instrument,  which  he 
had  probably  drawn  up  ready  for  signature. 

2 Maestro  delle  stampe  della  zecca^  i.e. , the  artist  who  made  the  dies. 

^ Ossicina  che  seguitano  il  dito^  &c.  Probably  metacarpal  bones. 

^ Che  ^nene  avviasse. 


94 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


who  examined  the  poor  girld  She  was  dreadfully  frightened; 
through  having  gained  some  inkling  of  the  quack’s  predic- 
tions ; whereas,  my  intelligent  doctor  declared  that  she  would 
suffer  nothing  of  consequence,  and  would  be  very  well  able 
to  use  her  right  hand  ; also  that  though  the  two  last  fingers 
must  remain  somewhat  weaker  than  the  others,  this  would 
be  of  no  inconvenience  at  all  to  her.  So  he  began  his  treat- 
ment ; and  after  a few  days,  when  he  was  going  to  extract  a 
portion  of  the  diseased  bones,  her  father  called  for  me,  and 
begged  me  to  be  present  at  the  operation.  Maestro  Giacomo 
was  using  some  coarse  steel  instruments  ; and  when  I ob- 
served that  he  was  making  little  way  and  at  the  same  time 
was  inflicting  severe  pain  on  the  patient,  I begged  him  to 
stop  and  wait  half  a quarter  of  an  hour  for  me.  I ran  into 
the  shop,  and  made  a little  scalping-iron  of  steel,  extremely 
thin  and  curved  ; it  cut  like  a razor.  On  my  return,  the  sur- 
geon used  it,  and  began  to  work  with  so  gentle  a hand  that 
she  felt  no  pain,  and  in  a short  while  the  operation  was 
over.  In  consequence  of  this  service,  and  for  other  reasons, 
the  worthy  man  conceived  for  me  as  much  love,  or  more,  as 
he  had  for  two  male  children  ; and  in  the  meanwhile  he 
attended  to  the  cure  of  his  beautiful  young  daughter. 

I was  on  terms  of  the  closest  intimacy  with  one  Messer 
Giovanni  Gaddi,  who  was  a clerk  of  the  Camera,  and  a great 
connoisseur  of  the  arts,  although  he  had  no  practical  acquaint- 
ance with  any.^  In  his  household  were  a certain  Messer 
Giovanni,  a Greek  of  eminent  learning,  Messer  Lodovico  of 
Fano,  no  less  distinguished  as  a man  of  letters,  Messer 
Antonio  Allegretti,  and  Messer  Annibale  Caro,^  at  that  time 
in  his  early  manhood.  Messer  Bastiano  of  Venice,  a most 
excellent  painter,  and  I were  admitted  to  their  society  ; and 


^ Giacomo  Rastelli  was  a native  of  Rimini,  but  was  popularly  known  as 
of  Perugia,  since  he  had  resided  long  in  that  city.  He  was  a famous  sur- 
geon under  several  Popes  until  the  year  1566,  when  he  died  at  Rome,  aged 
seventy-five. 

2 Giovanni  Gaddi  of  the  Florentine  famdly  was  passionately  attached  to 
men  of  art  and  letters.  Yet  he  seems  to  have  been  somewhat  disagreeable  in 
personal  intercourse  ; for  even  Annibale  Caro,  who  owed  much  to  his  patronage, 
and  lived  for  many  years  in  his  house,  never  became  attached  to  him.  We 
shall  see  how  he  treated  Cellini  during  a fever. 

2 Some  poems  of  Allegretti’s  survive.  He  was  a man  of  mark  in  the 
literary  society  of  the  age.  Giovanni  Greco  may  have  been  a Giovanni 
Vergezio,  who  presented  iSuke  Cosimo  with  some  Greek  characters  of  exquisite 
finish.  Lodovico  da  P'ano  is  mentioned  as  an  excellent  Latin  scholar.  Anni- 


BOOK  FIRST 


95 

almost  every  day  we  met  together  in  Messer  Giovanni’s 
company.^ 

Being  aware  of  this  intimacy,  the  worthy  goldsmith  Raffaello 
said  to  Messer  Giovanni : “ Good  sir,  you  know  me ; now  I 
want  to  marry  my  daughter  to  Benvenuto,  and  can  think  of 
no  better  intermediary  than  your  worship.  So  I am  come 
to  crave  your  assistance,  and  to  beg  you  to  name  for  her  such 
dowry  from  my  estate  as  you  may  think  suitable.”  The 
light-headed  man  hardly  let  my  good  friend  finish  what  he 
had  to  say,  before  he  put  in  quite  at  random:  “Talk  no 
more  about  it,  Raffaello  ; you  are  farther  from  your  object 
than  January  from  mulberries.”  The  poor  man,  utterly  dis- 
couraged, looked  about  at  once  for  another  husband  for  his 
girl ; while  she  and  the  mother  and  all  the  family  lived  on 
in  a bad  humour  with  me.  Since  I did  not  know  the  real 
cause  of  this — I imagined  they  were  paying  me  with  bastard 
coin  for  the  many  kindnesses  I had  shown  them — I con- 
ceived the  thought  of  opening  a workshop  of  my  own  in 
their  neighbourhood.  Messer  Giovanni  told  me  nothing  till 
the  girl  was  married,  which  happened  in  a few  months. 

Meanwhile,  I laboured  assiduously  at  the  work  I was 
doing  for  the  Pope,  and  also  in  the  service  of  the  Mint ; for 
his  Holiness  had  ordered  another  coin,  of  the  value  of  two 
carlins,  on  which  his  own  portrait  was  stamped,  while  the 
reverse  bore  a figure  of  Christ  upon  the  waters,  holding  out 
his  hand  to  S.  Peter,  with  this  inscription  Quare  duhitastif 
My  design  won  such  applause  that  a certain  secretary  of  the 
Pope,  a man  of  the  greatest  talent,  called  II  Sanga,^  was 
moved  to  this  remark:  “Your  Holiness  can  boast  of  having 
a currency  superior  to  any  of  the  ancients  in  all  their  glory.” 
The  Pope  replied : “ Benvenuto,  for  his  part,  can  boast  of 
serving  an  emperor  like  me,  who  is  able  to  discern  his 
merit.”  I went  on  at  my  great  piece  in  gold,  showing  it 
frequently  to  the  Pope,  who  was  very  eager  to  see  it,  and 
each  time  expressed  greater  admiration. 

bale  Caro  was  one  of  the  most  distinguished  writers  of  Italian  prose  and  verse 
in  the  later  Renaissance.  He  spent  the  latter  portion  of  his  life  in  the  service 
of  the  Farnesi. 

^ Messer  Bastiano  is  the  celebrated  painter  Sebastian  del  Piombo,  born 
1485,  died  1547. 

^ Battista  Sanga,  a Roman,  secretary  to  Gianmatteo  Giberti,  the  good  Arch- 
bishop  of  Verona,  and  afterwards  to  Clement  VII.  He  was  a great  Latinist, 
and  one  of  those  ecclesiastics  who  earnestly  desired  a reform  of  the  Church. 
He  died,  poisoned,  at  an  early  age. 


96 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


XLVII 

My  brother,  at  this  period,  was  also  in  Rome,  serving  Duke 
Alessandro,  on  whom  the  Pope  had  recently  conferred  the 
Duchy  of  Penna.  This  prince  kept  in  his  service  a multitude 
of  soldiers,  worthy  fellows,  brought  up  to  valour  in  the  school 
of  that  famous  general  Giovanni  de’  Medici  ; and  among  these 
was  my  brother,  whom  the  Duke  esteemed  as  highly  as  the 
bravest  of  them.  One  day  my  brother  went  after  dinner  to 
the  shop  of  a man  called  Baccino  della  Croce  in  the  Banchi, 
which  all  those  men-at-arms  frequented.  He  had  flung  him- 
self upon  a settee,  and  was  sleeping.  Just  then  the  guard  of 
the  Bargello  passed  by  ; ^ they  were  taking  to  prison  a certain 
Captain  Cisti,  a Lombard,  who  had  also  been  a member  of 
Giovanni’s  troop,  but  was  not  in  the  service  of  the  Duke.  The 
captain,  Cattivanza  degli  Strozzi,  chanced  to  be  in  the  same 
shop  ; 2 and  when  Cisti  caught  sight  of  him,  he  whispered  : 
“ I was  bringing  you  those  crowns  I owed  ; if  you  want  them, 
come  for  them  before  they  go  with  me  to  prison.”  Now 
Cattivanza  had  a way  of  putting  his  neighbours  to  the  push, 
not  caring  to  hazard  his  own  person.  So,  finding  there  around 
him  several  young  fellows  of  the  highest  daring,  more  eager 
than  apt  for  so  serious  an  enterprise,  he  bade  them  catch  up 
Captain  Cisti  and  get  the  money  from  him,  and  if  the  guard 
resisted,  overpower  the  men,  provided  they  had  pluck  enough 
to  do  so. 

The  young  men  were  but  four,  and  all  four  of  them  without 
a beard.  The  first  was  called  Bertino  Aldobrandi,  another 
Anguillotto  of  Lucca ; I cannot  recall  the  names  of  the  rest. 
Bertino  had  been  trained  like  a pupil  by  my  brother ; and 
my  brother  felt  the  most  unbounded  love  for  him.  So  then, 

^ The  Bargello  was  the  chief  constable  or  sheriff  in  Italian  towns.  I shall 
call  him  Bargello  alv.’ays  in  my  translation,  since  any  English  equivalent 
would  be  misleading.  He  did  the  rough  work  of  policing  the  city,  and  was 
consequently  a mark  for  all  the  men  of  spirit  who  disliked  being  kept  in 
order.  Giovio,  in  his  Life  of  Cardinal  Pompeo  Colonna,  quite  gravely  relates 
how  it  was  the  highest  ambition  of  young  Romans  of  spirit  to  murder  the 
Bargello.  He  mentions,  in  particular,  a certain  Pietro  Margano,  who  had 
acquired  great  fame  and  popularity  by  killing  the  Bargello  of  his  day,  one 
Cencio,  in  the  Campo  di  Fiore.  This  man  became  an  outlaw,  and  was 
favourably  received  by  Cardinal  Colonna,  then  at  war  with  Clement  VH. 

2 His  baptismal  name  was  Bernardo.  Cattivanza  was  a nickname.  He 
fought  bravelv  for  Florence  in  the  siege. 


BOOK  FIRST 


97 


off  dashed  the  four  brave  lads,  and  came  up  with  the  guard 
of  the  Bargello — upwards  of  fifty  constables,  counting  pikes, 
arquebuses,  and  two-handed  swords.  After  a few  words  they 
drew  their  weapons,  and  the  four  boys  so  harried  the  guard, 
that  if  Captain  Cattivanza  had  but  shown  his  face,  without  so 
much  as  drawing,  they  would  certainly  have  put  the  whole 
pack  to  flight.  But  delay  spoiled  all;  for  Bertino  received 
some  ugly  wounds  and  fell ; at  the  same  time,  Anguillotto 
was  also  hit  in  the  right  arm,  and  being  unable  to  use  his 
sword,  got  out  of  the  fray  as  well  as  he  was  able.  The 
others  did  the  same.  Bertino  Aldobrandi  was  lifted  from 
the  ground  seriously  injured. 


XLVIII 

While  these  things  were  happening,  we  were  all  at  table  ; 
for  that  morning  we  had  dined  more  than  an  hour  later  than 
usual.  On  hearing  the  commotion,  one  of  the  old  man’s 
sons,  the  elder,  rose  from  table  to  go  and  look  at  the  scuffle. 
He  was  called  Giovanni ; and  I said  to  him  : “ For  Heaven’s 
sake,  don’t  go  ! In  such  matters  one  is  always  certain  to  lose, 
while  there  is  nothing  to  be  gained.”  His  father  spoke  to 
like  purpose  : “ Pray,  my  son,  don’t  go  ! ” But  the  lad, 
without  heeding  any  one,  ran  down  the  stairs.  Reaching  the 
Banchi,  where  the  great  scrimmage  was,  and  seeing  Bertino 
lifted  from  the  ground,  he  ran  towards  home,  and  met  my 
brother  Cecchino  on  the  way,  who  asked  what  was  the 
matter.  Though  some  of  the  bystanders  signed  to  Giovanni 
not  to  tell  Cecchino,  he  cried  out  like  a madman  how  it  was 
that  Bertino  Aldobrandi  had  been  killed  by  the  guard.  My 
poor  brother  gave  vent  to  a bellow  which  might  have  been 
heard  ten  miles  away.  Then  he  turned  to  Giovanni : “ Ah 
me  ! but  could  you  tell  me  which  of  those  men  killed  him 
for  me  ? ” ^ Giovanni  said,  yes,  that  it  was  a man  who  had 
a big  two-handed  sword,  with  a blue  feather  in  his  bonnet. 
My  poor  brother  rushed  ahead,  and  having  recognised  the 
homicide  by  those  signs,  he  threw  himself  with  all  his  dash 
and  spirit  into  the  middle  of  the  band,  and  before  his  man 

^ Oim},  saprestimi  tu  dire  che  di  qiielli  me  Vha  morto?  The  me  is  so 
emphatic,  that,  though  it  makes  poor  English,  I have  preserved  it  in  my 
version. 

G 


98 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


could  turn  on  guard,  ran  him  right  through  the  guts,  and 
with  the  sword’s  hilt  thrust  him  to  the  ground.  Then  he 
turned  upon  the  rest  with  such  energy  and  daring,  that  his 
one  arm  was  on  the  point  of  putting  the  whole  band  to  flight, 
had  it  not  been  that,  while  wheeling  round  to  strike  an 
arquebusier,  this  man  fired  in  self-defence,  and  hit  the  brave 
unfortunate  young  fellow  above  the  knee  of  his  right  leg. 
While  he  lay  stretched  upon  the  ground,  the  constables 
scrambled  off  in  disorder  as  fast  as  they  were  able,  lest  a 
pair  to  my  brother  should  arrive  upon  the  scene. 

Noticing  that  the  tumult  was  not  subsiding,  I too  rose  from 
table,  and  girding  on  my  sword — for  everybody  wore  one 
then — I went  to  the  bridge  of  Sant’  Agnolo,  where  I saw  a 
group  of  several  men  assembled.  On  my  coming  up  and 
being  recognised  by  some  of  them,  they  gave  way  before 
me,  and  showed  me  what  I least  of  all  things  wished  to 
see,  albeit  I made  mighty  haste  to  view  the  sight.  On  the 
instant  I did  not  know  Cecchino,  since  he  was  wearing  a 
different  suit  of  clothes  from  that  in  which  I had  lately  seen 
him.  Accordingly,  he  recognised  me  first,  and  said  : “ Dearest 
brother,  do  not  be  upset  by  my  grave  accident ; it  is  onl}^  what 
might  be  expected  in  my  profession  : get  me  removed  from 
here  at  once,  for  I have  but  few  hours  to  live.”  They  had 
acquainted  me  with  the  whole  event  while  he  was  speak- 
ing, in  brief  words  befitting  such  occasion.  So  I answered  : 
“ Brother,  this  is  the  greatest  sorrow  and  the  greatest  trial 
that  could  happen  to  me  in  the  whole  course  of  my  life.  But 
be  of  good  cheer  ; for  before  you  lose  sight  of  him  who  did 
the  mischief,  you  shall  see  yourself  revenged  by  my  hand.” 
Our  words  on  both  sides  were  to  the  purport,  but  of  the 
shortest. 

XLIX 

The  guard  was  now  about  fifty  paces  from  us  ; for  MafBo, 
their  officer,  had  made  some  of  them  turn  back  to  take  up  the 
corporal  my  brother  killed.  Accordingly,  I quickly  traversed 
that  short  space,  wrapped  in  my  cape,  which  I had  tightened 
round  me,  and  came  up  with  Mafffo,  whom  I should  most 
certainly  have  murdered,  for  there  were  plenty  of  people 
round,  and  I had  wound  my  way  among  them.  With  the 
rapidity  of  lightning,  I had  half  drawn  my  sword  from  the 


BOOK  FIRST 


99 


sheath,  when  Berlinghier  Berlinghieri,  a young  man  of  the 
greatest  daring  and  my  good  friend,  threw  himself  from  be- 
hind upon  my  arms  ; he  had  four  other  fellows  of  like  kidney 
with  him,  who  cried  out  to  Maffio  : “ Away  with  you,  for 
this  man  here  alone  was  killing  you!”  He  asked:  “Who 
is  he  ? ” and  they  answered  : “ Own  brother  to  the  man  you 
see  there.”  Without  waiting  to  hear  more,  he  made  haste 
for  Torre  di  Nona;^  and  they  said:  “Benvenuto,  we  pre- 
vented you  against  your  will,  but  did  it  for  your  good  ; now 
let  us  go  to  succour  him  who  must  die  shortly.”  Accordingly, 
we  turned  and  went  back  to  my  brother,  whom  I had  at 
once  conveyed  into  a house.  The  doctors  who  were  called 
in  consultation,  treated  him  with  medicaments,  but  could 
not  decide  to  amputate  the  leg,  which  might  perhaps  have 
saved  him. 

As  soon  as  his  wound  had  been  dressed,  Duke  Alessandro 
appeared  and  most  affectionately  greeted  him.  My  brother 
had  not  as  yet  lost  consciousness  ; so  he  said  to  the  Duke  : 
“ My  lord,  this  only  grieves  me,  that  your  Excellency  is  losing 
a servant  than  whom  you  may  perchance  find  men  more 
valiant  in  the  profession  of  arms,  but  none  more  lovingly  and 
loyally  devoted  to  your  service  than  I have  been.”  The 
Duke  bade  him  do  all  he  could  to  keep  alive  ; for  the  rest, 
he  well  knew  him  to  be  a man  of  worth  and  courage.  He 
then  turned  to  his  attendants,  ordering  them  to  see  that  the 
brave  young  fellow  wanted  for  nothing. 

When  he  was  gone,  my  brother  lost  blood  so  copiously, 
for  nothing  could  be  done  to  stop  it,  that  he  went  off  his  head, 
and  kept  raving  all  the  following  night,  with  the  exception 
that  once,  when  they  wanted  to  give  him  the  communion, 
he  said  : “You  would  have  done  well  to  confess  me  before  ; 
now  it  is  impossible  that  I should  receive  the  divine  sacra- 
ment in  this  already  ruined  frame  ; it  will  be  enough  if  I 
partake  of  it  by  the  divine  virtue  of  the  eyesight,  whereby 
it  shall  be  transmitted  into  my  immortal  soul,  which  only 
prays  to  Him  for  mercy  and  forgiveness.”  Having  spoken 
thus,  the  host  was  elevated ; but  he  straightway  relapsed  into 
the  same  delirious  ravings  as  before,  pouring  forth  a torrent 
of  the  most  terrible  frenzies  and  horrible  imprecations  that 


^ The  Torre  di  Nona  was  one  of  the  principal  prisons  in  Rome,  used 
especially  for  criminals  condemned  to  death. 


lOO 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


the  mind  of  man  could  imagine  ; nor  did  he  cease  once  all 
that  night  until  the  day  broke. 

When  the  sun  appeared  above  our  horizon,  he  turned  to 
me  and  said  : “ Brother,  I do  not  wish  to  stay  here  longer, 
for  these  fellows  will  end  by  making  me  do  something 
tremendous,  which  may  cause  them  to  repent  of  the  annoy- 
ance they  have  given  me.”  Then  he  kicked  out  both  his 
legs — the  injured  limb  we  had  enclosed  in  a very  heavy  box 
— and  made  as  though  he  would  fling  it  across  a horse’s 
back.  Turning  his  face  round  to  me,  he  called  out  thrice — 
“ Farewell,  farewell ! ” and  with  the  last  word  that  most 
valiant  spirit  passed  away. 

At  the  proper  hour,  toward  nightfall,  I had  him  buried 
with  due  ceremony  in  the  church  of  the  Florentines  ; and 
afterwards  I erected  to  his  memory  a very  handsome  monu- 
ment of  marble,  upon  which  I caused  trophies  and  banners 
to  be  carved.  I must  not  omit  to  mention  that  one  of  his 
friends  had  asked  him  who  the  man  was  that  had  killed  him, 
and  if  he  could  recognise  him  ; to  which  he  answered  that 
he  could,  and  gave  his  description.  My  brother,  indeed, 
attempted  to  prevent  this  coming  to  my  ears  ; but  I got  it 
very  well  impressed  upon  my  mind,  as  will  appear  in  the 
sequel.^ 


L 

Returning  to  the  monument,  I should  relate  that  certain 
famous  men  of  letters,  who  knew  my  brother,  composed 
for  me  an  epitaph,  telling  me  that  the  noble  young  man 
deserved  it.  The  inscription  ran  thus  : — 

“ Francisco  Cellino  Florentino^  qui  quod  in  teneris  annis  ad  loannem 
Medicem  ducem  plures  victorias  retulit  et  signifer  fuit^  facile  docu- 
mentuin  dedit  qiiantce  fortitudinis  et  consilii  vir  futurus  erat^  ni 
crudelis  fati  archibuso  traiisfossus^  quinto  cetatis  lustro  jaceret^  Ben- 
venutus  f rater  posuit.  Obiit  die  xx v 1 1 Maii  M D . XX IX.” 

He  was  twenty- five  years  of  age  ; and  since  the  soldiers 
called  him  Cecchino  del  Piffero,^  his  real  name  being  Giovan- 

^ Varchi,  in  his  Storia  Fiorentina,  lib.  xi.,  gives  a short  account  of  Cecchino 
Cellini’s  death  in  Rome,  mentioning  also  Bertino  Aldobrandi,  in  the  attempt 
to  revenge  whom  he  lost  his  life. 

2 That  is,  Frank,  the  Fifer’s  son. 


BOOK  FIRST 


lOl 


francesco  Cellini,  I wanted  to  engrave  the  former,  by  which 
he  was  commonly  known,  under  the  armorial  bearings  of  our 
family.  This  name  then  I had  cut  in  fine  antique  characters, 
all  of  which  were  broken  save  the  first  and  last.  I was  asked 
by  the  learned  men  who  had  composed  that  beautiful  epitaph, 
wherefore  I used  these  broken  letters  ; and  my  answer  was, 
because  the  marvellous  framework  of  his  body  was  spoiled 
and  dead  ; and  the  reason  why  the  first  and  last  remained 
entire  was,  that  the  first  should  symbolise  the  great  gift  God 
had  given  him,  namely,  of  a human  soul,  inflamed  with  his 
divinity,  the  which  hath  never  broken,  while  the  second 
represented  the  glorious  renown  of  his  brave  actions.  The 
thought  gave  satisfaction,  and  several  persons  have  since 
availed  themselves  of  my  device.  Close  to  the  name  I had 
the  coat  of  us  Cellini  carved  upon  the  stone,  altering  it  in 
some  particulars.  In  Ravenna,  which  is  a most  ancient  city, 
there  exist  Cellini  of  our  name  in  the  quality  of  very  honour- 
able gentry,  who  bear  a lion  rampant  or  upon  a field  of  azure, 
holding  a lily  gules  in  his  dexter  paw,  with  a label  in  chief 
and  three  little  lilies  or.^  These  are  the  true  arms  of  the 
Cellini.  My  father  showed  me  a shield  as  ours  which  had 
the  paw  only,  together  with  the  other  bearings  ; but  I should 
prefer  to  follow  those  of  the  Cellini  of  Ravenna,  which  I have 
described  above.  Now  to  return  to  what  I caused  to  be 
engraved  upon  my  brother’s  tomb  : it  was  the  lion’s  paw,  but 
instead  of  a lily,  I made  the  lion  hold  an  axe,  with  the  field  of 
the  scutcheon  quartered  ; and  I put  the  axe  in  solely  that  I 
might  not  be  unmindful  to  revenge  him. 


LI 

I went  on  applying  myself  with  the  utmost  diligence  upon 
the  gold- work  for  Pope  Clement’s  button.  He  was  very 
eager  to  have  it,  and  used  to  send  for  me  two  or  three  times 
a week,  in  order  to  inspect  it ; and  his  delight  in  the  work 
always  increased.  Often  would  he  rebuke  and  scold  me,  as 
it  were,  for  the  great  grief  in  which  my  brother’s  loss  had 

^ I believe  Cellini  meant  here  to  write  “on  a chief  argent  a label  of  four 
points,  and  three  lilies  gules.”  He  has  tricked  the  arms  thus  in  a MS.  of  the 
Palatine  Library.  See  Leclanche,  p.  103,  see  also  Piatti,  vol.  i.  p.  233,  and 
Plon,  p.  2. 


102 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


plunged  me  ; and  one  day,  observing  me  more  downcast  and 
out  of  trim  than  was  proper,  he  cried  aloud  : “ Benvenuto, 
oh  ! I did  not  know  that  you  were  mad.  Have  you  only  just 
learned  that  there  is  no  remedy  against  death  ? One  would 
think  that  you  were  trying  to  run  after  him.’^  When  I left 
the  presence,  I continued  working  at  the  jewel  and  the 
dies  ^ for  the  Mint ; but  I also  took  to  watching  the  arque- 
busier  who  shot  my  brother,  as  though  he  had  been  a girl 
I was  in  love  with.  The  man  had  formerly  been  in  the 
light  cavalry,  but  afterwards  had  joined  the  arquebusiers 
as  one  of  the  Bargello’s  corporals  ; and  what  increased  my 
rage  was  that  he  had  used  these  boastful  words  : “ If  it  had 
not  been  for  me,  who  killed  that  brave  young  man,  the  least 
trifle  of  delay  would  have  resulted  in  his  putting  us  all  to 
flight  with  great  disaster.’^  When  I saw  that  the  fever 
caused  by  always  seeing  him  about  was  depriving  me  of 
sleep  and  appetite,  and  was  bringing  me  by  degrees  to  sorry 
plight,  I overcame  my  repugnance  to  so  low  and  not  quite 
praiseworthy  an  enterprise,  and  made  my  mind  up  one  even- 
ing to  rid  myself  of  the  torment.  The  fellow  lived  in  a house 
near  a place  called  Torre  Sanguigua,  next  door  to  the 
lodging  of  one  of  the  most  fashionable  courtesans  in  Rome, 
named  Signora  Antea.  It  had  just  struck  twenty-four,  and 
he  was  standing  at  the  house-door,  with  his  sword  in  hand, 
having  risen  from  supper.  With  great  address  I stole  up 
to  him,  holding  a large  Pistojan  dagger,^  and  dealt  him  a 
back-handed  stroke,  with  which  I meant  to  cut  his  head  clean 
off ; but  as  he  turned  round  very  suddenly,  the  blow  fell 
upon  the  point  of  his  left  shoulder  and  broke  the  bone.  He 
sprang  up,  dropped  his  sword,  half-stunned  with  the  great 
pain,  and  took  to  flight.  I followed  after,  and  in  four  steps 
caught  him  up,  when  I lifted  my  dagger  above  his  head, 
which  he  was  holding  very  low,  and  hit  him  in  the  back 
exactly  at  the  juncture  of  the  nape-bone  and  the  neck.  The 
poniard  entered  this  point  so  deep  into  the  bone,  that,  though 
I used  all  my  strength  to  pull  it  out,  I was  not  able.  For 
just  at  that  moment  four  soldiers  with  drawn  swords  sprang 
out  from  Antea^s  lodging,  and  obliged  me  to  set  hand  to  my 
own  sword  to  defend  my  life.  Leaving  the  poniard  then,  I 

^ Ferri.  I have  translated  this  word  dies ; but  it  seems  to  mean  all  the 
coining  instruments,  starnpe  or  conii  being  the  dies  proper. 

2 Pugnal pistolese : it  came  in  time  to  mean  a cutlass. 


BOOK  FIRST 


103 


made  off,  and  fearing  I might  be  recognised,  took  refuge  in 
the  palace  of  Duke  Alessandro,  which  was  between  Piazza 
Navona  and  the  Rotundad  On  my  arrival,  I asked  to  see 
the  Duke  ; who  told  me  that,  if  I was  alone,  I need  only 
keep  quiet  and  have  no  further  anxiety,  but  go  on  working 
at  the  jewel  which  the  Pope  had  set  his  heart  on,  and  stay 
eight  days  indoors.  He  gave  this  advice  the  more  securely, 
because  the  soldiers  had  now  arrived  who  interrupted  the 
completion  of  my  deed  ; they  held  the  dagger  in  their  hand, 
and  were  relating  how  the  matter  happened,  and  the  great 
trouble  they  had  to  pull  the  weapon  from  the  neck  and 
head-bone  of  the  man,  whose  name  they  did  not  know. 
Just  then  Giovan  Bandini  came  up,  and  said  to  them:^ 
“That  poniard  is  mine,  and  I lent  it  to  Benvenuto,  who 
was  bent  on  revenging  his  brother.”  The  soldiers  were 
profuse  in  their  expressions  of  regret  at  having  interrupted 
me,  although  my  vengeance  had  been  amply  satisfied. 

More  than  eight  days  elapsed,  and  the  Pope  did  not  send 
for  me  according  to  his  custom.  Afterwards  he  summoned 
me  through  his  chamberlain,  the  Bolognese  nobleman  I have 
already  mentioned,  who  let  me,  in  his  own  modest  manner, 
understand  that  his  Holiness  knew  all,  but  was  very  well 
inclined  toward  me,  and  that  I had  only  to  mind  my  work 
and  keep  quiet.  When  we  reached  the  presence,  the  Pope 
cast  so  menacing  a glance  towards  me,  that  the  mere  look 
of  his  eyes  made  me  tremble.  Afterwards,  upon  examining 
my  work,  his  countenance  cleared,  and  he  began  to  praise 
me  beyond  measure,  saying  that  I had  done  a vast  amount 
in  a short  time.  Then,  looking  me  straight  in  the  face,  he 
added  : “ Now  that  you  are  cured,  Benvenuto,  take  heed 
how  you  live.”  3 I,  who  understood  his  meaning,  promised 
that  I would.  Immediately  upon  this,  I opened  a very  fine 
shop  in  the  Banchi,  opposite  Raffaello,  and  there  I finished 
the  jewel  after  the  lapse  of  a few  months. 

^ That  is,  the  Pantheon. 

^ Bandini  bears  a distinguished  name  in  Florentine  annals.  Fie  served 
Duke  Alessandro  in  affairs  of  much  importance ; but  afterwards  he  betrayed 
the  interests  of  his  master,  Duke  Cosimo,  in  an  embassy  to  Charles  V.  in  1543. 
It  seems  that  he  had  then  been  playing  into  the  hands  of  Filippo  Strozzi,  for 
which  offence  he  passed  fifteen  years  in  a dungeon.  See  Varchi  and  Segni ; 
also  Montazio’s  Prigionieri  del  Mastio  di  Volterra^  cap.  vii. 

^ This  was  the  Pope’s  hint  to  Cellini  that  he  was  aware  of  the  murder  he 
had  just  committed. 


104  LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


LII 

The  Pope  had  sent  me  all  those  precious  stones,  except 
the  diamond,  which  was  pawned  to  certain  Genoese  bankers 
for  some  pressing  need  he  had  of  money.  The  rest  were 
in  my  custody,  together  with  a model  of  the  diamond.  I 
had  live  excellent  journeymen,  and  in  addition  to  the  great 
piece,  I was  engaged  on  several  jobs;  so  that  my  shop  con- 
tained property  of  much  value  in  jewels,  gems,  and  gold 
and  silver.  I kept  a shaggy  dog,  very  big  and  handsome, 
which  Duke  Alessandro  gave  me  ; the  beast  was  capital 
as  a retriever,  since  he  brought  me  every  sort  of  birds 
and  game  I shot,  but  he  also  served  most  admirably  for 
a watchdog.  It  happened,  as  was  natural  at  the  age  of 

twenty-nine,  that  I had  taken  into  my  service  a girl  of 

great  beauty  and  grace,  whom  I used  as  a model  in  my 

art,  and  who  was  also  complaisant  of  her  personal  favours 

to  me.  Such  being  the  case,  I occupied  an  apartment  far 
away  from  my  workmen’s  rooms,  as  well  as  from  the  shop  ; 
and  this  communicated  by  a little  dark  passage  with  the 
maid’s  bedroom.  I used  frequently  to  pass  the  night  with 
her  ; and  though  I sleep  as  lightly  as  ever  yet  did  man  upon 
this  earth,  yet,  after  indulgence  in  sexual  pleasure,  my  slumber 
is  sometimes  very  deep  and  heavy. 

So  it  chanced  one  night : for  I must  say  that  a thief,  under 
the  pretext  of  being  a goldsmith,  had  spied  on  me,  and  cast  his 
eyes  upon  the  precious  stones,  and  made  a plan  to  steal  them. 
Well,  then,  this  fellow  broke  into  the  shop,  where  he  found  a 
quantity  of  little  things  in  gold  and  silver.  He  was  engaged 
in  bursting  open  certain  boxes  to  get  at  the  jewels  he  had 
noticed,  when  my  dog  jumped  upon  him,  and  put  him  to 
much  trouble  to  defend  himself  with  his  sword.  The  dog, 
unable  to  grapple  with  an  armed  man,  ran  several  times 
through  the  house,  and  rushed  into  the  rooms  of  the  journey- 
men, which  had  been  left  open  because  of  the  great  heat. 
When  he  found  they  paid  no  heed  to  his  loud  barking,  he 
dragged  their  bed-clothes  off ; and  when  they  still  heard 
nothing,  he  pulled  first  one  and  then  another  by  the  arm  till  he 
roused  them,  and,  barking  furiously,  ran  before  to  show  them 
where  he  wanted  them  to  go.  At  last  it  became  clear  that 
they  refused  to  follow  ; for  the  traitors,  cross  at  being  dis- 


BOOK  FIRST 


105 


turbed,  threw  stones  and  sticks  at  him  ; and  this  they  could 
well  do,  for  I had  ordered  them  to  keep  all  night  a lamp 
alight  there  ; and  in  the  end  they  shut  their  rooms  tight ; so 
the  dog,  abandoning  all  hope  of  aid  from  such  rascals,  set 
out  alone  again  on  his  adventure.  He  ran  down,  and  not 
finding  the  thief  in  the  shop,  flew  after  him.  When  he  got 
at  him,  he  tore  the  cape  off  his  back.  It  would  have  gone 
hard  with  the  fellow  had  he  not  called  for  help  to  certain 
tailors,  praying  them  for  God’s  sake  to  save  him  from  a mad 
dog  ; and  they,  believing  what  he  said,  jumped  out  and 
drove  the  dog  off  with  much  trouble. 

After  sunrise  my  workmen  went  into  the  shop,  and  saw 
that  it  had  been  broken  open  and  all  the  boxes  smashed. 
They  began  to  scream  at  the  top  of  their  voices  : “ Ah,  woe 
is  me  ! Ah,  woe  is  me  ! ” The  clamour  woke  me,  and  I 
rushed  out  in  a panic.  Appearing  thus  before  them,  they 
cried  out : “ Alas  to  us  ! for  we  have  been  robbed  by  some 
one,  who  has  broken  and  borne  everything  away  ! ” These 
words  wrought  so  forcibly  upon  my  mind  that  I dared  not 
go  to  my  big  chest  and  look  if  it  still  held  the  jewels  of  the 
Pope.  So  intense  was  the  anxiety,  that  I seemed  to  lose  my 
eyesight,  and  told  them  they  themselves  must  unlock  the 
chest,  and  see  how  many  of  the  Pope’s  gems  were  missing. 
The  fellows  were  all  of  them  in  their  shirts  ; and  when,  on 
opening  the  chest,  they  saw  the  precious  stones  and  my  work 
with  them,  they  took  heart  of  joy  and  shouted  : “There  is  no 
harm  done  ; your  piece  and  all  the  stones  are  here  ; but  the 
thief  has  left  us  naked  to  the  shirt,  because  last  night,  by 
reason  of  the  burning  heat,  we  took  our  clothes  off  in  the  shop 
and  left  them  here.”  Recovering  my  senses,  I thanked  God, 
and  said : “ Go  and  get  yourselves  new  suits  of  clothes ; 
I will  pay  when  I hear  at  leisure  how  the  whole  thing  hap- 
pened.” What  caused  me  the  most  pain,  and  made  me 
lose  my  senses,  and  take  fright — so  contrary  to  my  real 
nature — was  the  dread  lest  peradventure  folk  should  fancy 
I had  trumped  a story  of  the  robber  up  to  steal  the  jewels. 
It  had  already  been  said  to  Pope  Clement  by  one  of  his  most 
trusted  servants,  and  by  others,  that  is,  by  Francesco  del 
Nero,  Zana  de’  Biliotti  his  accountant,  the  Bishop  of  Vasona, 
and  several  such  men:^  “Why,  most  blessed  Father,  do 

^ Of  these  people,  we  can  trace  the  Bishop  of  Vasona.  He  was  Girolamo 
Schio  or  Schedo,  a native  of  Vicenza,  the  confidential  agent  and  confessor  of 


io6  LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 

yon  confide  gems  of  that  vast  value  to  a young  fellow,  who 
is  all  fire,  more  passionate  for  arms  than  for  his  art,  and  not 
yet  thirty  years  of  age?’’  The  Pope  asked  in  answer  if 
any  one  of  them  knew  that  I had  done  aught  to  justify  such 
suspicions.  Whereto  Francesco  del  Nero,  his  treasurer, 
replied  U “No,  most  blessed  Father,  because  he  has  not  as 
yet  had  an  opportunity.”  Whereto  the  Pope  rejoined  : “ I 
regard  him  as  a thoroughly  honest  man  ; and  if  I saw  with 
my  own  eyes  some  crime  he  had  committed,  I should  not 
believe  it.”  This  was  the  man  who^  caused  me  the  greatest 
torment,  and  who  suddenly  came  up  before  my  mind. 

After  telling  the  young  men  to  provide  themselves  with 
fresh  clothes,  I took  my  piece,  together  with  the  gems,  setting 
them  as  well  as  I could  in  their  proper  places,  and  went  off 
at  once  with  them  to  the  Pope.  Francesco  del  Nero  had 
already  told  him  something  of  the  trouble  in  my  shop,  and 
had  put  suspicions  in  his  head.  So  then,  taking  the  thing 
rather  ill  than  otherwise,  he  shot  a furious  glance  upon  me, 
and  cried  haughtily:  “What  have  you  come  to  do  here? 
What  is  up  ? ” “ Here  are  all  your  precious  stones,  and  not 

one  of  them  is  missing.”  At  this  the  Pope’s  face  cleared, 
and  he  said  : “ So  then,  you’re  welcome.”  I showed  him 
the  piece,  and  while  he  was  inspecting  it,  I related  to  him 
the  whole  story  of  the  thief  and  of  my  agony,  and  what  had 
been  my  greatest  trouble  in  the  matter.  During  this  speech, 
he  oftentimes  turned  round  to  look  me  sharply  in  the  eyes  ; 
and  Francesco  del  Nero  being  also  in  the  presence,  this  seemed 
to  make  him  half  sorry  that  he  had  not  guessed  the  truth. 
At  last,  breaking  into  laughter  at  the  long  tale  I was  telling, 
he  sent  me  off  with  these  words  : “ Go,  and  take  heed  to  be 
an  honest  man,  as  indeed  I know  that  you  are.” 


Clement  VIT.,  who  obtained  the  See  of  Vaison  in  the  county  of  Avignon  in 
1523,  and  died  at  Rome  in  1533.  His  successor  in  the  bishopric  was  Tom- 
maso  Cortesi,  the  Datary,  mentioned  above. 

^ Varchi  gives  a very  ugly  account  of  this  man,  Francesco  del  Nero,  who 
was  nicknamed  the  Cra  del  Piccadiglio,  in  his  History  of  Florence,  book  iii. 
“ In  the  whole  city  of  Florence  there  never  was  born,  in  my  belief,  a man  of 
such  irreligion  or  of  such  sordid  avarice.”  Giovio  confirms  the  statement. 

2 Questo  fu  quello  che.  This  may  be  neuter  : This  tvas  the  circiimstana 
which. 


BOOK  FIRST 


107 


LIII 

I went  on  working  assiduously  at  the  button,  and  at  the 
same  time  laboured  for  the  Mint,  when  certain  pieces  of 
false  money  got  abroad  in  Rome,  stamped  with  my  own  dies. 
They  were  brought  at  once  to  the  Pope,  who,  hearing  things 
against  me,  said  to  Giacopo  Balducci,  the  Master  of  the  Mint, 
“ Take  every  means  in  your  power  to  find  the  criminal ; for 
we  are  sure  that  Benvenuto  is  an  honest  fellow.^^  That  traitor 
of  a master,  being  in  fact  my  enemy,  replied  : “ Would  God, 
most  blessed  Father,  that  it  may  turn  out  as  you  say  ; for  we 
have  some  proofs  against  him.^’  Upon  this  the  Pope  turned 
to  the  Governor  of  Rome,  and  bade  him  see  he  found  the 
malefactor.  During  those  days  the  Pope  sent  for  me, 
and  leading  cautiously  in  conversation  to  the  topic  of  the 
coins,  asked  me  at  the  fitting  moment : “ Benvenuto,  should 
you  have  the  heart  to  coin  false  money  ? ” To  this  I replied 
that  I thought  I could  do  so  better  than  all  the  rascals  who  gave 
their  minds  to  such  vile  work  ; for  fellows  who  practise  lewd 
trades  of  that  sort  are  not  capable  of  earning  money,  nor  are 
they  men  of  much  ability.  I,  on  the  contrary,  with  my  poor 
wits  could  gain  enough  to  keep  me  comfortably ; for  when 
I set  dies  for  the  Mint,  each  morning  before  dinner  I put  at 
least  three  crowns  into  my  pocket ; this  was  the  customary 
payment  for  the  dies,  and  the  Master  of  the  Mint  bore  me 
a grudge,  because  he  would  have  liked  to  have  them  cheaper  ; 
so  then,  what  I earned  with  God^s  grace  and  the  world^s, 
sufficed  me,  and  by  coining  false  money  I should  not  have 
made  so  much.  The  Pope  very  well  perceived  my  drift ; and 
whereas  he  had  formerly  given  orders  that  they  should  see 
I did  not  fly  from  Rome,  he  now  told  them  to  look  well  about 
and  have  no  heed  of  me,  seeing  he  was  ill-disposed  to  anger 
me,  and  in  this  way  run  the  risk  of  losing  me.  The  officials 
who  received  these  orders  were  certain  clerks  of  the  Camera, 
who  made  the  proper  search,  as  was  their  duty,  and  soon 
found  the  rogue.  He  was  a stamper  in  the  service  of 
the  Mint,  named  Cesare  Macherone,  and  a Roman  citizen. 
Together  with  this  man  they  detected  a metal-founder  of 
the  Mint.^ 


^ The  word  in  Cellini  is  ovolaiore  di  zecca. 


io8 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


LIV 

On  that  very  day,  as  I was  passing  through  the  Piazza 
Navona,  and  had  my  line  retriever  with  me,  just  when  w'e 
came  opposite  the  gate  of  the  Bargello,  my  dog  flew  barking 
loudly  inside  the  door  upon  a youth,  who  had  been  arrested 
at  the  suit  of  a man  called  Donnino  (a  goldsmith  from  Parma, 
and  a former  pupil  of  Caradosso),  on  the  charge  of  having 
robbed  him.  The  dog  strove  so  violently  to  tear  the  fellow 
to  pieces,  that  the  constables  were  moved  to  pity.  It  so 
happened  that  he  was  pleading  his  own  cause  with  boldness, 
and  Donnino  had  not  evidence  enough  to  support  the  accu- 
sation ; and  what  was  more,  one  of  the  corporals  of  the  guard, 
a Genoese,  was  a friend  of  the  young  man’s  father.  The 
upshot  was  that,  v/hat  wdth  the  dog  and  with  those  other  cir- 
cumstances, they  were  on  the  point  of  releasing  their  prisoner. 
When  I came  up,  the  dog  had  lost  all  fear  of  sword  or  staves, 
and  was  flying  once  more  at  the  young  man  ; so  they  told  me 
if  I did  not  call  the  brute  off  they  would  kill  him.  I held 
him  back  as  well  as  I was  able  ; but  just  then  the  fellow, 
in  the  act  of  readjusting  his  cape,  let  fall  some  paper  packets 
from  the  hood,  which  Donnino  recognised  as  his  property. 
I too  recognised  a little  ring  ; whereupon  I called  out  : “ This 
is  the  thief  who  broke  into  my  shop  and  robbed  it  ; and  there- 
fore my  dog  knows  him  ; ” then  I loosed  the  dog,  who  flew 
again  upon  the  robber.  On  this  the  fellow  craved  for  mercy, 
promising  to  give  back  whatever  he  possessed  of  mine. 
When  I had  secured  the  dog,  he  proceeded  to  restore  the 
gold  and  silver  and  the  rings  which  he  had  stolen  from  me, 
and  twenty-five  crowns  in  addition.  Then  he  cried  once 
more  to  me  for  pity.  I told  him  to  make  his  peace  with  God, 
for  I should  do  him  neither  good  nor  evil.  So  I returned 
to  my  business  ; and  a few  days  afterwards,  Cesare  Mache- 
rone,  the  false  coiner,  was  hanged  in  the  Banchi  opposite 
the  Mint  ; his  accomplice  was  sent  to  the  galleys  ; the 
Genoese  thief  was  hanged  in  the  Campo  di  Fiore,  while  I 
remained  in  better  repute  as  an  honest  man  than  I had 
enjoyed  before. 


BOOK  FIRST 


109 


LV  ^ 

When  I had  nearly  finished  my  piece,  there  happened 
that  terrible  inundation  which  flooded  the  whole  of  Rome.^ 
I waited  to  see  what  would  happen  ; the  day  was  well-nigh 
spent,  for  the  clocks  struck  twenty-two,  and  the  water  went 
on  rising  formidably.  Now  the  front  of  my  house  and  shop 
faced  the  Banchi,  but  the  back  was  several  yards  higher, 
because  it  turned  toward  Monte  Giordano  ; accordingly, 
bethinking  me  first  of  my  own  safety  and  in  the  next  place 
of  my  honour,  I filled  my  pockets  with  the  jewels,  and  gave 
the  gold-piece  into  the  custody  of  my  workmen,  and  then 
descended  barefoot  from  the  back-windows,  and  waded  as 
well  as  I could  until  I reached  Monte  Cavallo.  There  I 
sought  out  Messer  Giovanni  Gaddi,  clerk  of  the  Camera,  and 
Bastiano  Veneziano,  the  painter.  To  the  former  I confided 
the  precious  stones,  to  keep  in  safety  : he  had  the  same 
regard  for  me  as  though  I had  been  his  brother.  A few 
days  later,  when  the  rage  of  the  river  was  spent,  I returned 
to  my  workshop,  and  finished  the  piece  with  such  good 
fortune,  through  God’s  grace  and  my  own  great  industry, 
that  it  was  held  to  be  the  finest  masterpiece  which  had  been 
ever  seen  in  Rome.^ 

When  then  I took  it  to  the  Pope,  he  was  insatiable  in  praising 
me,  and  said  : “ Were  I but  a wealthy  emperor,  I would  give 
my  Benvenuto  as  much  land  as  his  eyes  could  survey ; yet 
being  nowadays  but  needy  bankrupt  potentates,  we  will  at  any 
rate  give  him  bread  enough  to  satisfy  his  modest  wishes.”  I 
let  the  Pope  run  on  to  the  end  of  his  rhodomontade,^  and  then 
asked  him  for  a mace-bearer’s  place  which  happened  to  be 
vacant.  He  replied  that  he  would  grant  me  something  of  far 
greater  consequence.  I begged  his  Holiness  to  bestow  this 
little  thing  on  me  meanwhile  by  way  of  earnest.  He  began  to 
laugh,  and  said  he  was  willing,  but  that  he  did  not  wish  me 
to  serve,  and  that  I must  make  some  arrangement  with  the 
other  mace-bearers  to  be  exempted.  He  would  allow  them 

^ This  took  place  on  the  8th  and  9th  October  1530. 

^ This  famous  masterpiece  was  preserved  in  the  Castle  of  S.  Angelo  during 
the  Papal  Government  of  Rome.  It  was  brought  out  on  Christmas,  Easter, 
and  S.  Peter’s  clays. 

^ Quell  a sua  smania  di  parole. 


no 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


through  me  a certain  favour,  for  which  they  had  already 
petitioned,  namely,  the  right  of  recovering  their  fees  at  law. 
This  was  accordingly  done  ; and  that  mace-bearer's  office 
brought  me  in  little  less  than  200  crowns  a yeard 


LVI 

I continued  to  work  for  the  Pope,  executing  now  one  trifle 
and  now  another,  when  he  commissioned  me  to  design  a 
chalice  of  exceeding  richness.  So  I made  both  drawing  and 
model  for  the  piece.  The  latter  was  constructed  of  wood  and 
wax.  Instead  of  the  usual  top,  I fashioned  three  figures  of 
a fair  size  in  the  round  ; they  represented  Faith,  Hope,  and 
Charity.  Corresponding  to  these,  at  the  base  of  the  cup,  were 
three  circular  histories  in  bas-relief.  One  was  the  Nativity  of 
Christ,  the  second  the  Resurrection,  and  the  third  S.  Peter 
crucified  head  downwards  ; for  thus  I had  received  com- 
mission. While  I had  this  work  in  hand,  the  Pope  was  often 
pleased  to  look  at  it ; wherefore,  observing  that  his  Holiness 
had  never  thought  again  of  giving  me  anything,  and  knowing 
that  a post  in  the  Piombo  was  vacant,  I asked  for  this  one 
evening.  The  good  Pope,  quite  oblivious  of  his  extravagances 
at  the  termination  of  the  last  piece,  said  to  me  : “ That  post  in 
the  Piombo  is  worth  more  than  800  crowns  a year,  so  that  if  I 
gave  it  you,  you  would  spend  your  time  in  scratching  your 
paunch,^  and  your  magnificent  handicraft  would  be  lost,  and  I 
should  bear  the  blame."  I replied  at  once  as  thus  : “ Cats  of  a 
good  breed  mouse  better  when  they  are  fat  than  starving  ; and 
likewise  honest  men  who  possess  some  talent,  exercise  it  to 
far  nobler  purport  when  they  have  the  wherewithal  to  live 
abundantly ; wherefore  princes  who  provide  such  folk  with 
competences,  let  your  Holiness  take  notice,  are  watering  the 
roots  of  genius  ; for  genius  and  talent,  at  their  birth,  come  into 
this  world  lean  and  scabby  ; and  your  Holiness  should  also 
know  that  I never  asked  for  the  place  with  the  hope  of  getting 
it.  Only  too  happy  I to  have  that  miserable  post  of  mace- 


^ Cellini  received  this  post  among  the  Mazzieri  (who  walked  like  beadles 
before  the  Pope)  on  April  14,  1531.  He  resigned  it  in  favour  of  Pietro  Cor- 
naro  of  Venice  in  1535. 

2 Gr attar e il  corpo^  which  I have  translated  scratch  yottr  paunch,  is 
equivalent  to  Hvirl yottr  thumbs. 


BOOK  FIRST 


III 


bearer  On  the  other  I built  but  castles  in  the  air.  Your 
Holiness  will  do  well,  since  you  do  not  care  to  give  it  me,  to 
bestow  it  on  a man  of  talent  who  deserves  it,  and  not  upon 
some  fat  ignoramus  who  will  spend  his  time  scratching  his 
paunch,  if  I may  quote  your  Holiness’s  own  words.  Follow 
the  example  of  Pope  Giulio’s  illustrious  memory,  who  con- 
ferred an  office  of  the  same  kind  upon  Bramante,  that  most 
admirable  architect.” 

Immediately  on  finishing  this  speech,  I made  my  bow,  and 
went  oh  in  a fury.  Then  Bastiano  Veneziano  the  painter 
approached,  and  said : “ Most  blessed  Father,  may  your 
Holiness  be  willing  to  grant  it  to  one  who  works  assiduously 
in  the  exercise  of  some  talent ; and  as  your  Holiness  knows 
that  I am  diligent  in  my  art,  I beg  that  I may  be  thought 
worthy  of  it.”  The  Pope  replied  : “ That  devil  Benvenuto 
will  not  brook  rebuke.  I was  inclined  to  give  it  him,  but  it  is 
not  right  to  be  so  haughty  with  a Pope.  Therefore  I do  not 
well  know  what  I am  to  do.”  The  Bishop  of  Vasona  then 
came  up,  and  put  in  a word  for  Bastiano,  saying : “ Most 
blessed  Father,  Benvenuto  is  but  young  ; and  a sword  be- 
comes him  better  than  a friar’s  frock.  Let  your  Holiness  give 
the  place  to  this  ingenious  person  Bastiano.  Some  time  or 
other  you  will  be  able  to  bestow  on  Benvenuto  a good  thing, 
perhaps  more  suitable  to  him  than  this  would  be.”  Then 
the  Pope,  turning  to  Messer  Bartolommeo  Valori,  told  him  : 
“ When  next  you  meet  Benvenuto,  let  him  know  from  me  that 
it  was  he  who  got  that  office  in  the  Piombo  for  Bastiano  the 
painter,  and  add  that  he  may  reckon  on  obtaining  the  next 
considerable  place  that  falls  ; meanwhile  let  him  look  to  his 
behaviour,  and  finish  my  commissions.”  ^ 

The  following  evening,  two  hours  after  sundown,  I met 
Messer  Bartolommeo  Valori ^ at  the  corner  of  the  Mint;  he 
was  preceded  by  two  torches,  and  was  going  in  haste  to  the 

^ The  ofifice  of  the  Piombo  in  Rome  was  a bureau  in  which  leaden  seals 
were  appended  to  Bulls  and  instruments  of  state.  It  remained  for  a long  time 
in  the  hands  of  the  Cistercians  ; but  it  used  also  to  be  conferred  on  laymen, 
among  whom  were  Bremante  and  Sebastiano  del  Piombo.  When  the  latter 
obtained  it,  he  neglected  his  art  and  gave  himself  up  to  “scratching  his 
paunch,”  as  Cellini  predicted. 

Bartolommeo  or  Baccio  Valori,  a devoted  adherent  of  the  Medici,  played 
an  important  part  in  Florentine  history.  He  was  Clement’s  commissary  to 
the  Prince  of  Orange  during  the  siege.  Afterwards,  feeling  himself  ill  repaid 
for  his  services,  he  joined  Filippo  Strozzi  in  his  opposition  to  the  Medicean 
rule,  and  was  beheaded  in  1 537,  together  with  his  son  and  a nephew. 


II2 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


Pope,  who  had  sent  for  him.  On  my  taking  off  my  hat,  he 
stopped  and  called  me,  and  reported  in  the  most  friendly 
manner  all  the  messages  the  Pope  had  sent  me.  I replied 
that  I should  complete  my  work  with  greater  diligence  and 
application  than  any  I had  yet  attempted,  but  without  the 
least  hope  of  having  any  reward  whatever  from  the  Pope. 
Messer  Bartolommeo  reproved  me,  saying  that  this  was  not 
the  way  in  which  one  ought  to  reply  to  the  advances  of  a 
Pope.  I answered  that  I should  be  mad  to  reply  otherwise 
— mad  if  I based  my  hopes  on  such  promises,  being  certain 
to  get  nothing.  So  I departed,  and  went  off  to  my  business. 

Messer  Bartolomm^eo  must  have  reported  my  audacious 
speeches  to  the  Pope,  and  more  perhaps  than  I had  really 
said ; for  his  Holiness  waited  above  two  months  before  he 
sent  to  me,  and  during  that  while  nothing  would  have  in- 
duced me  to  go  uncalled  for  to  the  palace.  Yet  he  was 
dying  with  impatience  to  see  the  chalice,  and  commissioned 
Messer  Ruberto  Pucci  to  give  heed  to  what  I was  about.^ 
That  right  worthy  fellow  came  daily  to  visit  me,  and  always 
gave  me  some  kindly  word,  which  I returned.  The  time  was 
drawing  nigh  now  for  the  Pope  to  travel  toward  Bologna ; ^ 
so  at  last,  perceiving  that  I did  not  mean  to  come  to  him, 
he  made  Messer  Ruberto  bid  me  bring  my  work,  that  he 
might  see  how  I was  getting  on.  Accordingly,  I took  it ; 
and  having  shown,  as  the  piece  itself  proved,  that  the  most 
important  part  was  finished,  I begged  him  to  advance  me 
five  hundred  crowns,  partly  on  account,  and  partly  because 
I wanted  gold  to  complete  the  chalice.  The  Pope  said : 
“ Go  on,  go  on  at  work  till  it  is  finished.”  I answered,  as 
I took  my  leave,  that  I would  finish  it  if  he  paid  me  the 
money.  And  so  I went  away. 


LVII 

When  the  Pope  took  his  journey  to  Bologna,  he  left 
Cardinal  Salviati  as  Legate  of  Rome,  and  gave  him  com- 

1 Roberto  Pucci  was  another  of  the  devoted  Medicean  partisans  who  re- 
mained true  to  his  colours.  He  sat  among  the  forty-eight  senators  of  Ales- 
sandro, and  was  made  a Cardinal  by  Paul  III.  in  1534. 

2 On  November  18,  1532,  Clement  went  to  meet  Charles  V.  at  Bologna, 
where,  in  1529,  he  had  already  given  him  the  Imperial  crown. 


BOOK  FIRST 


113 

mission  to  push  the  work  that  I was  doing  forward,  adding : 
“Benvenuto  is  a fellow  who  esteems  his  own  great  talents 
but  slightly,  and  us  less ; look  to  it  then  that  you  keep  him 
always  going,  so  that  I may  find  the  chalice  finished  on  my 
return.” 

That  beast  of  a Cardinal  sent  for  me  after  eight  days, 
bidding  me  bring  the  piece  up.  On  this  I went  to  him 
without  the  piece.  No  sooner  had  I shown  my  face,  than 
he  called  out:  “Where  is  that  onion-stew  of  yours  Have 
you  got  it  ready  ? ” I answered : “ O most  reverend  Mon- 
signor, I have  not  got  my  onion-stew  ready,  nor  shall  I make 
it  ready,  unless  you  give  me  onions  to  concoct  it  with.”  At 
these  words,  the  Cardinal,  who  looked  more  like  a donkey 
than  a man,  turned  uglier  by  half  than  he  was  naturally; 
and  wanting  at  once  to  cut  the  matter  short,  cried  out : “ Fll 
send  you  to  a galley,  and  then  perhaps  you’ll  have  the  grace  ^ 
to  go  on  with  your  labour.”  The  bestial  manners  of  the 
man  made  me  a beast  too ; and  I retorted : “ Monsignor, 
send  me  to  the  galleys  when  I’ve  done  deeds  worthy  of 
them ; but  for  my  present  laches,  I snap  my  fingers  at  your 
galleys : and  what  is  more,  I tell  you  that,  just  because  of 
you,  I will  not  set  hand  further  to  my  piece.  Don’t  send 
for  me  again,  for  I won’t  appear,  no,  not  if  you  summon  me 
by  the  police.” 

After  this,  the  good  Cardinal  tried  several  times  to  let  me 
know  that  I ought  to  go  on  working,  and  to  bring  him  what  I 
was  doing  to  look  at.  I only  told  his  messengers  : “ Say  to 
Monsignor  that  he  must  send  me  onions,  if  he  wants  me  to 
get  my  stew  ready.”  Nor  gave  I ever  any  other  answer ; so 
that  he  threw  up  the  commission  in  despair. 


LVIII 

The  Pope  came  back  from  Bologna,  and  sent  at  once  for 
me,  because  the  Cardinal  had  written  the  worst  he  could  of 
my  affairs  in  his  despatches.  He  was  in  the  hottest  rage 
imaginable,  and  bade  me  come  upon  the  instant  with  my 

^ Cipollata.  Literally,  a show  of  onions  and  pumpkins  ; metaphorically,  a 
mess,  gallimaufry. 

^ Arai  di  grazia  di.  I am  not  sure  whether  I have  given  the  right  shade  of 
meaning  in  the  text  above.  It  may  mean  : Vok  will  be  permitted. 


H 


II4  LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 

piece.  I obeyed.  Now,  while  the  Pope  was  staying  at 
Bologna,  I had  suffered  from  an  attack  of  inflammation  in  the 
eyes,  so  painful  that  I scarce  could  go  on  living  for  the 
torment ; and  this  was  the  chief  reason  why  I had  not  carried 
out  my  work.  The  trouble  was  so  serious  that  I expected 
for  certain  to  be  left  without  my  eyesight ; and  I had  reckoned 
up  the  sum  on  which  I could  subsist,  if  I were  blind  for  life. 
Upon  the  way  to  the  Pope,  I turned  over  in  my  mind  what 
I should  put  forward  to  excuse  m^^self  for  not  having  been 
able  to  advance  his  work.  I thought  that  while  he  was 
inspecting  the  chalice,  1 might  tell  him  of  my  personal  em- 
barrassments. However,  I was  unable  to  do  so  ; for  when 
I arrived  in  the  presence,  he  broke  out  coarsely  at  me  : 
“Come  here  with  your  work;  is  it  finished?’^  I displa3'ed 
it ; and  his  temper  rising,  he  exclaimed  : “In  God’s  truth  I 
tell  thee,  thou  that  makest  it  thy  business  to  hold  no  man  in 
regard,  that,  were  it  not  for  decency  and  order,  I would  have 
thee  chucked  together  with  thy  work  there  out  of  windows.” 
Accordingly,  when  I perceived  that  the  Pope  had  become  no 
better  than  a vicious  beast,  my  chief  anxiety  was  how  I could 
manage  to  withdraw  from  his  presence.  So,  while  he  went 
on  bullying,  I tucked  the  piece  beneath  my  cape,  and 
muttered  under  my  breath  : “ The  whole  world  could  not 
compel  a blind  man  to  execute  such  things  as  these.” 
Raising  his  voice  still  higher,  the  Pope  shouted : “ Come 
here  ; what  say’st  thou  ? ” I stayed  in  two  minds,  whether 
or  not  to  dash  at  full  speed  down  the  staircase  ; then  I took 
my  decision  and  threw  myself  upon  my  knees,  shouting  as 
loudly  as  I could,  for  he  too  had  not  ceased  from  shouting : 
“ If  an  infirmity  has  blinded  me,  am  I bound  to  go  on 
working?”  He  retorted:  “You  saw  well  enough  to  make 
your  way  hither,  and  I don’t  believe  one  word  of  what  you 
say.”  I answered,  for  I noticed  he  had  dropped  his  voice  a 
little  : “ Let  your  Holiness  inquire  of  your  physician,  and  you 
will  find  the  truth  out.”  He  said  : “So  ho  ! softly  ; at  leisure 
we  shall  hear  if  what  you  say  is  so.”  Then,  perceiving  that 
he  was  willing  to  give  me  hearing,  I added  : “ I am  convinced 
that  the  only  cause  of  this  great  trouble  which  has  happened 
to  me  is  Cardinal  Salviati ; for  he  sent  to  me  immediately 
after  your  Holiness’s  departure,  and  when  I presented  myself, 
he  called  my  work  a stew  of  onions,  and  told  me  he  would 
send  me  to  complete  it  in  a galley  ; and  such  was  the  effect 


BOOK  FIRST 


115 

upon  me  of  his  knavish  words,  that  in  my  passion  I felt  my 
face  in  flame,  and  so  intolerable  a heat  attacked  my  eyes  that 
I could  not  find  my  own  way  home.  Two  days  afterwards, 
cataracts  fell  on  both  my  eyes  ; I quite  lost  my  sight,  and  after 
your  Holiness^s  departure  I have  been  unable  to  work  at  all.’' 

Rising  from  my  knees,  I left  the  presence  without  further 
license.  It  was  afterwards  reported  to  me  that  the  Pope  had 
said:  “One  can  give  commissions,  but  not  the  prudence  to 
perform  them.  I did  not  tell  the  Cardinal  to  go  so  brutally 
about  this  business.^  If  it  is  true  that  he  is  suffering  from 
his  eyes,  of  which  I shall  get  information  through  my  doctor, 
one  ought  to  make  allowance  for  him.”  A great  gentleman, 
intimate  with  the  Pope,  and  a man  of  very  distinguished 
parts,  happened  to  be  present.  He  asked  who  I was,  using 
terms  like  these  : “ Most  blessed  Father,  pardon  if  I put  a 
question.  I have  seen  you  yield  at  one  and  the  same  time  to 
the  hottest  anger  I ever  observed,  and  then  to  the  warmest 
compassion  ; so  I beg  your  Holiness  to  tell  me  who  the  man 
is  ; for  if  he  is  a person  worthy  to  be  helped,  I can  teach  him 
a secret  which  may  cure  him  of  that  infirmity.”  The  Pope 
replied  : “He  is  the  greatest  artist  who  was  ever  born  in  his 
own  craft  ; one  day,  when  we  are  together,  I will  show  you 
some  of  his  marvellous  works,  and  the  man  himself  to  boot ; 
and  I shall  be  pleased  if  we  can  see  our  way  toward  doing 
something  to  assist  him.”  Three  days  after  this,  the  Pope 
sent  for  me  after  dinner-time,  and  I found  that  great  noble  in 
the  presence.  On  my  arrival,  the  Pope  had  my  cope-button 
brought,  and  I in  the  meantime  drew  forth  my  chalice.  The 
nobleman  said,  on  looking  at  it,  that  he  had  never  seen  a more 
stupendous  piece  of  work.  When  the  button  came,  he  was 
still  more  struck  with  wonder  : and  looking  me  straight  in  the 
face,  he  added  : “ The  man  is  young,  I trow,  to  be  so  able  in 
his  art,  and  still  apt  enough  to  learn  much.”  He  then  asked 
me  what  my  name  was.  I answered  : “ My  name  is  Ben- 
venuto.” He  replied  : “And  Benvenuto  shall  I be  this  day 
to  you.  Take  flower-de-luces,  stalk,  blossom,  root,  together  ; 
then  decoct  them  over  a slack  fire  ; and  with  the  liquid  bathe 
your  eyes  several  times  a day  ; you  will  most  certainly  be 
cured  of  that  weakness  ; but  see  that  you  purge  first,  and  then 
go  forward  with  the  lotion.”  The  Pope  gave  me  some  kind 
words,  and  so  I went  away  half  satisfied. 

^ Che  viettessi  tanta  mazza. 


ii6 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


LIX 

It  was  true  indeed  that  I had  got  the  sickness  ; but  I believe 
I caught  it  from  that  fine  young  servant-girl  whom  I was  keep- 
ing when  my  house  was  robbed.  The  French  disease,  for  it  w^as 
that,  remained  in  me  more  than  four  months  dormant  before 
it  showed  itself,  and  then  it  broke  out  over  my  whole  body 
at  one  instant.  It  was  not  like  what  one  commonly  observes, 
but  covered  my  flesh  with  certain  blisters,  of  the  size  of  six- 
pences, and  rose-coloured.  The  doctors  would  not  call  it  the 
French  disease,  albeit  I told  them  why  I thought  it  was  that. 
I went  on  treating  myself  according  to  their  methods,  but 
derived  no  benefit.  At  last,  then,  I resolved  on  taking  the 
wood,  against  the  advice  of  the  first  physicians  in  Rome  ; ^ 
and  I took  it  with  the  most  scrupulous  discipline  and  rules 
of  abstinence  that  could  be  thought  of  ; and  after  a few  days, 
I perceived  in  me  a great  amendment.  The  result  was  that 
at  the  end  of  fifty  days  I was  cured  and  as  sound  as  a fish 
in  the  water. 

Some  time  afterwards  I sought  to  mend  my  shattered 
health,  and  wflth  this  view  I betook  myself  to  shooting  when 
the  winter  came  in.  That  amusement,  however,  led  me 
to  expose  myself  to  wind  and  water,  and  to  staying  out  in 
marsh-lands ; so  that,  after  a few  days,  I fell  a hundred  times 
more  ill  than  I had  been  before.  I put  myself  once  more 
under  doctors’  orders,  and  attended  to  their  directions,  but 
grew  always  worse.  When  the  fever  fell  upon  me,  I resolved 
on  having  recourse  again  to  the  wood ; but  the  doctors  for- 
bade it,  saying  that  if  I took  it  with  the  fever  on  me,  I should 
not  have  a week  to  live.  However,  I made  my  mind  up  to 
disobey  their  orders,  observed  the  same  diet  as  I had  for- 
merly adopted,  and  after  drinking  the  decoction  four  days, 
was  wholly  rid  of  fever.  My  health  improved  enormously  ; 
and  while  I was  following  this  cure,  I went  on  always  work- 
ing at  the  models  of  the  chalice.  I may  add  that,  during 
the  time  of  that  strict  abstinence,  I produced  finer  things  and 
of  more  exquisite  invention  than  at  any  other  period  of  my 
life.  After  fifty  days  my  health  was  re-established,  and  I con- 
tinued with  the  utmost  care  to  keep  it  and  confirm  it.  When 
at  last  I ventured  to  relax  my  rigid  diet,  I found  myself  as 

^ That  is,  Guiacum,  called  by  the  Italians  legno  santo. 


BOOK  FIRST 


117 

wholly  free  from  those  infirmities  as  though  I had  been  born 
again.  Although  I took  pleasure  in  fortifying  the  health  I so 
much  longed  for,  yet  I never  left  off  working ; both  the  chalice 
and  the  Mint  had  certainly  as  much  of  my  attention  as  was  due 
to  them  and  to  myself. 


LX 

It  happened  that  Cardinal  Salviati,  who,  as  I have  related, 
entertained  an  old  hostility  against  me,  had  been  appointed 
Legate  to  Parma.  In  that  city  a certain  Milanese  goldsmith, 
named  Tobbia,  was  taken  up  for  false  coining,  and  con- 
demned to  the  gallows  and  the  stake.  Representations  in 
his  favour,  as  being  a man  of  great  ability,  were  made  to  the 
Cardinal,  who  suspended  the  execution  of  the  sentence,  and 
wrote  to  the  Pope,  saying  the  best  goldsmith  in  the  world 
had  come  into  his  hands,  sentenced  to  death  for  coining  false 
money,  but  that  he  was  a good  simple  fellow,  who  could 
plead  in  his  excuse  that  he  had  taken  counsel  with  his  con- 
fessor, and  had  received,  as  he  said,  from  him  permission 
to  do  this.  Thereto  he  added  : “ If  you  send  for  this  great 
artist  to  Rome,  your  Holiness  will  bring  down  the  over- 
weening arrogance  of  your  favourite  Benvenuto,  and  I am 
quite  certain  that  Tobbia’s  work  will  please  you  far  more 
than  his.’^  The  Pope  accordingly  sent  for  him  at  once  ; 
and  when  the  man  arrived,  he  made  us  both  appear  before 
him,  and  commissioned  each  of  us  to  furnish  a design  for 
mounting  an  unicorn’s  horn,  the  finest  which  had  ever  been 
seen,  and  which  had  been  sold  for  17,000  ducats  of  the 
Camera.  The  Pope  meant  to  give  it  to  King  Francis  ; but 
first  he  wished  it  richly  set  in  gold,  and  ordered  us  to  make 
sketches  for  this  purpose.  When  they  were  finished,  we 
took  them  to  the  Pope.  That  of  Tobbia  was  in  the  form  of 
a candlestick,  the  horn  being  stuck  in  it  like  a candle,  and  at 
the  base  of  the  piece  he  had  introduced  four  little  unicorns’ 
heads  of  a very  poor  design.  When  I saw  the  thing,  I could 
not  refrain  from  laughing  gently  in  my  sleeve.  The  Pope 
noticed  this,  and  cried  : “ Here,  show  me  your  sketch  ! ” 
It  was  a single  unicorn’s  head,  proportioned  in  size  to  the 
horn.  I had  designed  the  finest  head  imaginable  ; for  I 
took  it  partly  from  the  horse  and  partly  from  the  stag, 
enriching  it  with  fantastic  mane  and  other  ornaments. 


ii8 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


Accordingly,  no  sooner  was  it  seen,  than  every  one  decided  in 
my  favour.  There  were,  however,  present  at  the  competition 
certain  Milanese  gentlemen  of  the  first  consequence,  who 
said  : “ Most  blessed  Father,  your  Holiness  is  sending  this 
magnificent  present  into  France  ; please  to  reflect  that  the 
French  are  people  of  no  culture,  and  will  not  understand  the 
excellence  of  Benvenuto’s  work ; pyxes  like  this  one  of 
Tobbia’s  will  suit  their  taste  well,  and  these  too  can  be 
finished  quicker.^  Benvenuto  will  devote  himself  to  com- 
pleting your  chalice,  and  you  will  get  two  pieces  done  in 
the  same  time  ; moreover,  this  poor  man,  whom  you  have 
brought  to  Rome,  will  have  the  chance  to  be  employed.” 
The  Pope,  who  was  anxious  to  obtain  his  chalice,  very 
willingly  adopted  the  advice  of  the  Milanese  gentlefolk. 

Next  day,  therefore,  he  commissioned  Tobbia  to  mount 
the  unicorn’s  horn,  and  sent  his  Master  of  the  Wardrobe 
to  bid  me  finish  the  chalice.^  I replied  that  I desired 
nothing  in  the  world  more  than  to  complete  the  beautiful 
work  I had  begun  : and  if  the  material  had  been  anything 
but  gold,  I could  very  easily  have  done  so  by  myself  ; but 
it  being  gold,  his  Holiness  must  give  me  some  of  the  metal 
if  he  wanted  me  to  get  through  with  my  work.  To  this 
the  vulgar  courtier  answered  : “ Zounds  ! don’t  ask  the  Pope 
for  gold,  unless  you  mean  to  drive  him  into  such  a fury  as 
will  ruin  you.”  I said  : “ Oh,  my  good  lord,  will  your  lord- 
ship  please  to  tell  me  how  one  can  make  bread  without 
flour  ? Even  so  without  gold  this  piece  of  mine  cannot  be 
finished.”  The  Master  of  the  Wardrobe,  having  an  inkling 
that  I had  made  a fool  of  him,  told  me  he  should  report  all 
I had  spoken  to  his  Holiness  ; and  this  he  did.  The  Pope 
flew  into  a bestial  passion,  and  swore  he  would  wait  to  see 
if  I was  so  mad  as  not  to  finish  it.  More  than  two  months 
passed  thus  ; and  though  I had  declared  I would  not  give 
a stroke  to  the  chalice,  I did  not  do  so,  but  always  went 
on  working  with  the  greatest  interest.  When  he  perceived 
I was  not  going  to  bring  it,  he  began  to  display  real  dis- 

^ The  word  I have  translated  pyxes  is  cihorii,  vessels  for  holding  the 
Eucharist. 

2 The  Master  of  the  Wardrobe  was  at  that  time  Giovanni  Aleotti.  I need 
hardly  remind  my  readers  that  Guardaroba  or  wardrobe  was  the  apartment  j 
in  a palace  where  arms,  plate,  furniture,  and  clothes  were  stored.  We  shall 
find,  when  we  come  to  Cellini’s  service  under  Duke  Cosimo,  that  princes  spent 
much  of  their  time  in  this  place. 


BOOK  FIRST 


1 19 

pleasure,  and  protested  he  would  punish  me  in  one  way 
or  another. 

A jeweller  from  Milan  in  the  Papal  service  happened  to 
be  present  when  these  words  were  spoken.  He  was  called 
Pompeo,  and  was  closely  related  to  Messer  Trajano,  the  most 
favoured  servant  of  Pope  Clement.  The  two  men  came,  upon 
a common  understanding,  to  him  and  said  : “ If  your  Holiness 
were  to  deprive  Benvenuto  of  the  Mint,  perhaps  he  would 
take  it  into  his  head  to  complete  the  chalice.”  To  this  the 
Pope  answered  : “ No  ; two  evil  things  would  happen  : hrst, 
I should  be  ill  served  in  the  Mint,  which  concerns  me  greatly  ; 
and  secondly,  I should  certainly  not  get  the  chalice.”  The 
two  Milanese,  observing  the  Pope  indisposed  towards  me, 
at  last  so  far  prevailed  that  he  deprived  me  of  the  Mint,  and 
gave  it  to  a young  Perugian,  commonly  known  as  Fagiuolo.^ 
Pompeo  came  to  inform  me  that  his  Holiness  had  taken  my 
place  in  the  Mint  away,  and  that  if  I did  not  finish  the  chalice, 
he  would  deprive  me  of  other  things  besides.  I retorted  : 
“ Tell  his  Holiness  that  he  has  deprived  himself  and  not  me 
of  the  Mint,  and  that  he  will  be  doing  the  same  with  regard 
to  those  other  things  of  which  he  speaks  ; and  that  if  he 
wants  to  confer  the  post  on  me  again,  nothing  will  induce 
me  to  accept  it.”  The  graceless  and  unlucky  fellow  went 
off  like  an  arrow  to  find  the  Pope  and  report  this  conversa- 
tion ; he  added  also  something  of  his  own  invention.  Eight 
days  later,  the  Pope  sent  the  same  man  to  tell  me  that  he 
did  not  mean  me  to  finish  the  chalice,  and  wanted  to  have  it 
back  precisely  at  the  point  to  which  I had  already  brought 
it.  I told  Pompeo : “ This  thing  is  not  like  the  Mint,  which 
it  was  in  his  power  to  take  away  ; but  five  hundred  crowns 
which  I received  belong  to  his  Holiness,  and  I am  ready 
to  return  them  ; the  piece  itself  is  mine,  and  with  it  I shall 
do  what  I think  best.”  Pompeo  ran  off  to  report  my  speech, 
together  with  some  biting  words  which  in  my  righteous  anger 
I had  let  fly  at  himself. 

LXI 

After  the  lapse  of  three  days,  on  a Thursday,  there  came 
to  me  two  favourite  Chamberlains  of  his  Holiness ; one  of 

^ Vasari  mentions  a Girolamo  Fagiuoli,  who  flourished  at  this  period,  but 
calls  him  a Bolognese. 


120 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


them  is  alive  now,  and  a bishop ; he  was  called  Messer 
Pier  Giovanni,  and  was  an  officer  of  the  wardrobe  ; the  other 
could  claim  nobler  birth,  but  his  name  has  escaped  me.  On 
arriving  they  spoke  as  follows:  “The  Pope  hath  sent  us, 
Benvenuto  ; and  since  you  have  not  chosen  to  comply 
with  his  request  on  easy  terms,  his  commands  now  are  that 
either  you  should  give  us  up  his  piece,  or  that  we  should 
take  you  to  prison.’’  Thereupon  I looked  them  very  cheer- 
fully in  the  face,  replying  : “ My  lords,  if  I were  to  give 
the  work  to  his  Holiness,  I should  be  giving  what  is  mine 
and  not  his,  and  at  present  I have  no  intention  to  make 
him  this  gift.  I*  have  brought  it  far  forward  with  great 
labour,  and  do  not  want  it  to  go  into  the  hands  of  some 
ignorant  beast  who  will  destroy  it  with  no  trouble.”  While 
I spoke  thus,  the  goldsmith  Tobbia  was  standing  by,  who 
even  presumptuously  asked  me  for  the  models  also  of  my 
work.  What  I retorted,  in  words  worthy  of  such  a rascal, 
need  not  here  be  repeated.  Then,  when  those  gentlemen, 
the  Chamberlains,  kept  urging  me  to  do  quickly  what  I meant 
to  do,  I told  them  I was  readj^  So  I took  my  cape  up, 
and  before  I left  the  shop,  I turned  to  an  image  of  Christ, 
with  solemn  reverence  and  cap  in  hand,  praying  as  thus  : 
“ O gracious  and  undying,  just  and  holy  our  Lord,  all  the 
things  thou  doest  are  according  to  thy  justice,  which  hath  no 
peer  on  earth.  Thou  knowest  that  I have  exactly  reached 
the  age  of  thirty,  and  that  up  to  this  hour  I was  never 
threatened  with  a prison  for  any  of  my  actions.  Now  that 
it  is  thy  will  that  I should  go  to  prison,  with  all  my  heart 
I thank  thee  for  this  dispensation.”  Thereat  I turned  round 
to  the  two  Chamberlains,  and  addressed  them  with  a certain 
lowering  look  I have:  “A  man  of  my  quality  deserved  no 
meaner  catchpoles  than  your  lordships  : place  me  between 
you,  and  take  me  as  your  prisoner  where  you  like.”  Those 
two  gentlemen,  with  the  most  perfect  manners,  burst  out 
laughing,  and  put  me  between  them  ; and  so  we  went  off, 
talking  pleasantly,  until  they  brought  me  to  the  Governor 
of  Rome,  who  was  called  II  Magalotto.i  When  I reached 
him  (and  the  Procurator-Fiscal  was  with  him,  both  waiting 
for  me),  the  Pope’s  Chamberlains,  still  laughing,  said  to  the 

^ Gregorio  Magalotti  was  a Roman,  The  Procurator-Fiscal  was  then 
Benedetto  Valenti.  Magalotti  is  said  to  have  discharged  his  office  with 
extreme  severity,  and  to  have  run  great  risks  of  his  life  in  consequence. 


BOOK  FIRST 


I2I 


Governor  : “ We  give  up  to  you  this  prisoner  ; now  see  you 
take  good  care  of  him.  We  are  very  glad  to  have  acted  in 
the  place  of  your  agents  ; for  Benvenuto  has  told  us  that  this 
being  his  first  arrest,  he  deserved  no  catchpoles  of  inferior 
station  than  we  are.”  Immediately  on  leaving  us,  they  sought 
the  Pope  ; and  when  they  had  minutely  related  the  whole 
matter,  he  made  at  first  as  though  he  would  give  way  to  pas- 
sion, but  afterwards  he  put  control  upon  himself  and  laughed, 
because  there  were  then  in  the  presence  certain  lords  and 
cardinals,  my  friends,  who  had  warmly  espoused  my  cause. 

Meanwhile,  the  Governor  and  the  Fiscal  were  at  me,  partly 
bullying,  partly  expostulating,  partly  giving  advice,  and 
saying  it  was  only  reason  that  a man  who  ordered  work  from 
another  should  be  able  to  withdraw  it  at  his  choice,  and 
in  any  way  which  he  thought  best.  To  this  I replied  that 
such  proceedings  were  not  warranted  by  justice,  neither 
could  a Pope  act  thus  ; for  that  a Pope  is  not  of  the  same 
kind  as  certain  petty  tyrant  princes,  who  treat  their  folk  as 
badly  as  they  can,  without  regard  to  law  or  justice  ; and  so 
a Vicar  of  Christ  may  not  commit  any  of  these  acts  of 
violence.  Thereat  the  Governor,  assuming  his  police-court 
style  of  threatening  and  bullying,  began  to  say  : “ Benvenuto, 
Benvenuto,  you  are  going  about  to  make  me  treat  you  as 
you  deserve.”  “You  will  treat  me  with  honour  and  courtesy, 
if  you  wish  to  act  as  I deserve.”  Taking  me  up  again,  he 
cried  : “ Send  for  the  work  at  once,  and  don’t  wait  for  a 
second  order.”  I responded : “ My  lords,  grant  me  the 
favour  of  being  allowed  to  say  four  more  words  in  my  de- 
fence.” The  Fiscal,  who  was  a far  more  reasonable  agent 
of  police  than  the  Governor,  turned  to  him  and  said : 
“Monsignor,  suppose  we  let  him  say  a hundred  words,  if 
he  likes  : so  long  as  he  gives  up  the  work,  that  is  enough 
for  us.”  I spoke : “ If  any  man  you  like  to  name  had 
ordered  a palace  or  a house  to  be  built,  he  could  with  justice 
tell  the  master-mason  : ‘ I do  not  want  you  to  go  on  work- 
ing at  my  house  or  palace ; ’ and  after  paying  him  his 
labour,  he  v/ould  have  the  right  to  dismiss  him.  Likewise, 
if  a nobleman  gave  commission  for  a jewel  of  a thousand 
crowns’  value  to  be  set,  when  he  saw  that  the  jeweller  was 
not  serving  him  according  to  his  desire,  he  could  say  ; ‘ Give 
me  back  my  stone,  for  I do  not  want  your  work.’  But  in  a 
case  of  this  kind  none  of  those  considerations  apply;  there 


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LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


is  neither  house  nor  jewel  here  ; nobody  can  command  me 
further  than  that  I should  return  the  five  hundred  crowns 
which  I have  had.  Therefore,  monsignori,  do  everything 
you  can  do  ; for  you  will  get  nothing  from  me  beyond  the 
five  hundred  crowns.  Go  and  say  this  to  the  Pope.  Your 
threats  do  not  frighten  me  at  all ; for  I am  an  honest  man,  and 
stand  in  no  fear  of  my  sins.”  The  Governor  and  Fiscal  rose, 
and  said  they  were  going  to  the  Pope,  and  should  return 
with  orders  which  I should  soon  learn  to  my  cost.  So  I 
remained  there  under  guard.  I walked  up  and  down  a 
large  hall,  and  they  were  about  three  hours  away  before 
they  came  back  from  the  Pope.  In  that  while  the  flower 
of  our  nation  among  the  merchants  came  to  visit  me,  im- 
ploring me  not  to  persist  in  contending  with  a Pope,  for 
this  might  be  the  ruin  of  me.  I answered  them  that  I had 
made  my  mind  up  quite  well  what  I wished  to  do. 


LXII 

No  sooner  had  the  Governor  returned,  together  with  the 
Procurator,  from  the  palace,  than  he  sent  for  me,  and  spoke 
to  this  effect : “ Benvenuto,  I am  certainly  sorry  to  come 
back  from  the  Pope  with  such  commands  as  I have  received  ; 
you  must  either  produce  the  chalice  on  the  instant,  or  look 
to  your  affairs.”  Then  I replied  that  ” inasmuch  as  I had 
never  to  that  hour  believed  a holy  Vicar  of  Christ  could 
commit  an  unjust  act,  so  I should  like  to  see  it  before  I 
did  believe  it ; therefore  do  the  utmost  that  you  can.”  The 
Governor  rejoined  : “ I have  to  report  a couple  of  words 
more  from  the  Pope  to  you,  and  then  I will  execute  the 
orders  given  me.  He  says  that  you  must  bring  your  work 
to  me  here,  and  that  after  I have  seen  it  put  into  a box 
and  sealed,  I must  take  it  to  him.  Pie  engages  his  word 
not  to  break  the  seal,  and  to  return  the  piece  to  you  un- 
touched. But  this  much  he  wants  to  have  done,  in  order 
to  preserve  his  own  honour  in  the  affair.”  In  return  to 
this  speech,  I answered,  laughing,  that  I would  very  willingly 
give  up  my  work  in  the  way  he  mentioned,  because  I 
should  be  glad  to  know  for  certain  what  a Pope’s  word  was 
really  worth. 


BOOK  FIRST 


123 


Accordingly,  I sent  for  my  piece,  and  having  had  it  sealed 
as  described,  gave  it  up  to  him.  The  Governor  repaired 
again  to  the  Pope,  who  took  the  box,  according  to  what 
the  Governor  himself  told  me,  and  turned  it  several  times 
about.  Then  he  asked  the  Governor  if  he  had  seen  the 
work;  and  he  replied  that  he  had,  and  that  it  had  been 
sealed  up  in  his  presence,  and  added  that  it  had  struck  him 
as  a very  admirable  piece.  Thereupon  the  Pope  said  : “You 
shall  tell  Benvenuto  that  Popes  have  authority  to  bind  and 
loose  things  of  far  greater  consequence  than  this  ; ’’  and  while 
thus  speaking  he  opened  the  box  with  some  show  of  anger, 
taking  off  the  string  and  seals  with  which  it  was  done  up. 
Afterwards  he  paid  it  prolonged  attention ; and,  as  I sub; 
sequently  heard,  showed  it  to  Tobbia  the  goldsmith,  who 
bestowed  much  praise  upon  it.  Then  the  Pope  asked  him 
if  he  felt  equal  to  producing  a piece  in  that  style.  On  his 
saying  yes,  the  Pope  told  him  to  follow  it  out  exactly ; then 
turned  to  the  Governor  and  said : “ See  whether  Benvenuto 
will  give  it  up  ; for  if  he  does,  he  shall  be  paid  the  value  fixed 
on  it  by  men  of  knowledge  in  this  art ; but  if  he  is  really  bent 
on  finishing  it  himself,  let  him  name  a certain  time;  and  if 
you  are  convinced  that  he  means  to  do  it,  let  him  have  all  the 
reasonable  accommodations  he  may  ask  for.’^  The  Governor 
replied:  “Most  blessed  Father,  I know  the  violent  temper 
of  this  young  man ; so  let  me  have  authority  to  give  him  a 
sound  rating  after  my  own  fashion.”  The  Pope  told  him 
to  do  what  he  liked  with  words,  though  he  was  sure  he 
would  make  matters  worse ; and  if  at  last  he  could  do 
nothing  else,  he  must  order  me  to  take  the  five  hundred 
crowns  to  his  jeweller,  Pompeo. 

The  Governor  returned,  sent  for  me  into  his  cabinet,  and 
casting  one  of  his  catchpole’s  glances,  began  to  speak  as 
follows : “ Popes  have  authority  to  loose  and  bind  the  whole 
world,  and  what  they  do  is  immediately  ratified  in  heaven. 
Behold  your  box,  then,  which  has  been  opened  and  inspected 
by  his  Holiness.”  I lifted  up  my  voice  at  once,  and  said : 
“ I thank  God  that  now  I have  learned  and  can  report  what 
the  faith  of  Popes  is  made  of.”  Then  the  Governor  launched 
out  into  brutal  bullying  words  and  gestures;  but  perceiving 
that  they  came  to  nothing,  he  gave  up  his  attempt  as  des- 
perate, and  spoke  in  somewhat  milder  tones  after  this  wise : 
“ Benvenuto,  I am  very  sorry  that  you  are  so  blind  to  your 


124 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


own  interest ; but  since  it  is  so,  go  and  take  the  five  hundred 
crowns,  when  you  think  fit,  to  Pompeo.”  I took  my  piece  up, 
went  away,  and  carried  the  crowns  to  Pompeo  on  the  instant. 
It  is  most  likely  that  the  Pope  had  counted  on  some  want  of 
money  or  other  opportunity  preventing  me  from  bringing  so 
considerable  a sum  at  once,  and  was  anxious  in  this  way  to 
repiece  the  broken  thread  of  my  obedience.  When  then 
he  saw  Pompeo  coming  to  him  with  a smile  upon  his  lips 
and  the  money  in  his  hand,  he  soundly  rated  him,  and 
lamented  that  the  affair  had  turned  out  so.  Then  he  said : 
“ Go  find  Benvenuto  in  his  shop,  and  treat  him  with  all  the 
courtesies  of  which  your  ignorant  and  brutal  nature  is  capable, 
and  tell  him  that  if  he  is  willing  to  finish  that  piece  for  a re- 
liquary to  hold  the  Corpus  Domini  when  I walk  in  procession, 
I will  allow  him  the  conveniences  he  wants  in  order  to  com- 
plete it ; provided  only  that  he  goes  on  working.”  Pompeo 
came  to  me,  called  me  outside  the  shop,  and  heaped  on  me 
the  most  mawkish  caresses  of  a donkey,^  reporting  everything 
the  Pope  had  ordered.  I lost  no  time  in  answering  that  “ the 
greatest  treasure  I could  wish  for  in  the  world  was  to  regain 
the  favour  of  so  great  a Pope,  which  had  been  lost  to  me, 
not  indeed  by  my  fault,  but  by  the  fault  of  my  overwhelming 
illness  and  the  wickedness  of  those  envious  men  who  take 
pleasure  in  making  mischief ; and  since  the  Pope  has  plenty 
of  servants,  do  not  let  him  send  you  round  again,  if  you  value 
your  life  . . . nay,  look  well  to  5^our  safety.  I shall  not  fail, 
by  night  or  day,  to  think  and  do  everything  I can  in  the  Pope’s 
service ; and  bear  this  well  in  mind,  that  when  you  have  re- 
ported these  words  to  his  Holiness,  you  never  in  any  way 
whatever  meddle  with  the  least  of  my  affairs,  for  I will  make 
you  recognise  your  errors  by  the  punishment  they  merit.” 
The  fellow  related  everything  to  the  Pope,  but  in  far  more 
brutal  terms  than  I had  used ; and  thus  the  matter  rested  for 
a time  while  I again  attended  to  my  shop  and  business. 


LXIII 

Tobbia  the  goldsmith  meanwhile  worked  at  the  setting  and 
the  decoration  of  the  unicorn’s  horn.  The  Pope,  moreover, 
commissioned  him  to  begin  the  chalice  upon  the  model  he 

^ Le  pill  isvcncvole  carez%e  cfasino. 


BOOK  FIRST 


125 


had  seen  in  mine.  But  when  Tobbia  came  to  show  him 
what  he  had  done,  he  was  very  discontented,  and  greatly 
regretted  that  he  had  broken  with  me,  blaming  all  the  other 
man’s  works  and  the  people  who  had  introduced  them  to 
him  ; and  several  times  Baccino  della  Croce  came  from  him 
to  tell  me  that  I must  not  neglect  the  reliquary.  I answered 
that  I begged  his  Holiness  to  let  me  breathe  a little  after  the 
great  illness  I had  suffered,  and  from  which  I was  not  as  yet 
wholly  free,  adding  that  I would  make  it  clear  to  him  that 
all  the  hours  in  which  I could  work  should  be  spent  in  his 
service.  I had  indeed  begun  to  make  his  portrait,  and  was 
executing  a medal  in  secret.  I fashioned  the  steel  dies  for 
stamping  this  medal  in  my  own  house  ; while  I kept  a partner 
in  my  workshop,  who  had  been  my  prentice  and  was  called 
Felice. 

At  that  time,  as  is  the  wont  of  young  men,  I had  fallen 
in  love  with  a Sicilian  girl,  who  was  exceedingly  beautiful. 
On  it  becoming  clear  that  she  returned  my  affection,  her 
mother  perceived  how  the  matter  stood,  and  grew  suspicious 
of  what  might  happen.  The  truth  is  that  I had  arranged 
to  elope  with  the  girl  for  a year  to  Florence,  unknown  to 
her  mother  ; but  she,  getting  wind  of  this,  left  Rome  secretly 
one  night,  and  went  off  in  the  direction  of  Naples.  She  gave 
out  that  she  was  gone  by  Civit^  Vecchia,  but  she  really  went 
by  Ostia.  I followed  them  to  Civit^  Vecchia,  and  did  a 
multitude  of  mad  things  to  discover  her.  It  would  be  too 
long  to  narrate  them  all  in  detail ; enough  that  I was  on  the 
point  of  losing  my  wits  or  dying.  After  two  months  she 
wrote  to  me  that  she  was  in  Sicily,  extremely  unhappy.  I 
meanwhile  was  indulging  myself  in  all  the  pleasures  man  can 
think  of,  and  had  engaged  in  another  love  affair,  merely  to 
drown  the  memory  of  my  real  passion. 


LXIV 

It  happened  through  a variety  of  singular  accidents  that  I 
became  intimate  with  a Sicilian  priest,  who  was  a man  of  very 
elevated  genius  and  well  instructed  in  both  Latin  and  Greek 
letters.  In  the  course  of  conversation  one  day  we  were  led 
to  talk  about  the  art  of  necromancy  ; apropos  of  which  I said  : 
“ Throughout  my  whole  life  I have  had  the  most  intense 


126 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


desire  to  see  or  learn  something  of  this  art.’’  Thereto  the 
priest  replied  : “ A stout  soul  and  a steadfast  must  the  man 
have  who  sets  himself  to  such  an  enterprise.”  I answered 
that  of  strength  and  steadfastness  of  soul  I should  have 
enough  and  to  spare,  provided  I found  the  opportunity. 
Then  the  priest  said  : “ If  you  have  the  heart  to  dare  it,  I 
will  amply  satisfy  your  curiosity.”  Accordingly  we  agreed 
upon  attempting  the  adventure. 

The  priest  one  evening  made  his  preparations,  and  bade 
me  find  a comrade,  or  not  more  than  two.  I invited 
Vincenzio  Romoli,  a very  dear  friend  of  mine,  and  the 
priest  took  with  him  a native  of  Pistoja,  who  also  cultivated 
the  black  art.  We  went  together  to  the  Coliseum  ; and 
there  the  priest,  having  arrayed  himself  in  necromancer’s 
robes,  began  to  describe  circles  on  the  earth  with  the  finest 
ceremonies  that  can  be  imagined.  I must  say  that  he  had 
made  us  bring  precious  perfumes  and  fire,  and  also  drugs 
of  fetid  odour.  When  the  preliminaries  were  completed, 
he  made  the  entrance  into  the  circle  ; and  taking  us  by  the 
hand,  introduced  us  one  by  one  inside  it.  Then  he  assigned 
our  several  functions  ; to  the  necromancer,  his  comrade,  he 
gave  the  pentacle  to  hold  ; the  other  two  of  us  had  to  look 
after  the  fire  and  the  perfumes  ; and  then  he  began  his  in- 
cantations. This  lasted  more  than  an  hour  and  a half  ; when 
several  legions  appeared,  and  the  Coliseum  was  all  full  of 
devils.  I was  occupied  with  the  precious  perfumes,  and 
when  the  priest  perceived  in  what  numbers  they  were 
present,  he  turned  to  me  and  said  : “ Benvenuto,  ask  them 
something.”  I called  on  them  to  reunite  me  with  my  Sicilian 
Angelica.  That  night  we  obtained  no  answer  ; but  I enjoyed 
the  greatest  satisfaction  of  my  curiosity  in  such  matters.  The 
necromancer  said  that  we  should  have  to  go  a second  time, 
and  that  I should  obtain  the  full  accomplishment  of  my 
request ; but  he  wished  me  to  bring  with  me  a little  boy  of 
pure  virginity. 

I chose  one  of  my  shop-lads,  who  was  about  twelve  years 
old,  and  invited  Vincenzio  Romoli  again  ; and  we  also  took 
a certain  Agnolino  Gaddi,  who  was  a very  intimate  friend 
of  both.  When  we  came  once  more  to  the  place  appointed, 
the  necromancer  made  just  the  same  preparations,  attended 
by  the  same  and  even  more  impressive  details.  Then  he 
introduced  us  into  the  circle,  which  he  had  reconstructed 


BOOK  FIRST 


127 


with  art  more  admirable  and  yet  more  wondrous  ceremonies. 
Afterwards  he  appointed  my  friend  Vincenzio  to  the  ordering 
of  the  perfumes  and  the  fire,  and  with  him  Agnolino  Gaddi. 
He  next  placed  in  my  hand  the  pentacle,  which  he  bid  me 
turn  toward  the  points  he  indicated,  and  under  the  pentacle 
I held  the  little  boy,  my  workman.  Now  the  necromancer 
began  to  utter  those  awful  invocations,  calling  by  name  on 
multitudes  of  demons  who  are  captains  of  their  legions,  and 
these  he  summoned  by  the  virtue  and  potency  of  God,  the 
Uncreated,  Living,  and  Eternal,  in  phrases  of  the  Hebrew, 
and  also  of  the  Greek  and  Latin  tongues  ; insomuch  that 
in  a short  space  of  time  the  whole  Coliseum  was  full  of  a 
hundredfold  as  many  as  had  appeared  upon  the  first  occasion. 
Vincenzio  Romoli,  together  with  Agnolino,  tended  the  fire 
and  heaped  on  quantities  of  precious  perfumes.  At  the 
advice  of  the  necromancer,  I again  demanded  to  be  reunited 
with  Angelica.  The  sorcerer  turned  to  me  and  said  : “ Hear 
you  what  they  have  replied  ; that  in  the  space  of  one  month 
you  will  be  where  she  is  ? ” Then  once  more  he  prayed  me 
to  stand  firm  by  him,  because  the  legions  were  a thousandfold 
more  than  he  had  summoned,  and  were  the  most  dangerous 
of  all  the  denizens  of  hell ; and  now  that  they  had  settled 
what  I asked,  it  behoved  us  to  be  civil  to  them  and  dismiss 
them  gently.  On  the  other  side,  the  boy,  who  was  beneath 
the  pentacle,  shrieked  out  in  terror  that  a million  of  the  fiercest 
men  were  swarming  round  and  threatening  us.  He  said,  more- 
over, that  four  huge  giants  had  appeared,  who  were  striving 
to  force  their  way  inside  the  circle.  Meanwhile  the  necro- 
mancer, trembling  with  fear,  kept  doing  his  best  with  mild 
and  soft  persuasions  to  dismiss  them.  Vincenzio  Romoli, 
who  quaked  like  an  aspen  leaf,  looked  after  the  perfumes. 
Though  I was  quite  as  frightened  as  the  rest  of  them,  I 
tried  to  show  it  less,  and  inspired  them  all  with  marvellous 
courage  ; but  the  truth  is  that  I had  given  myself  up  for 
dead  when  I saw  the  terror  of  the  necromancer.  The  boy 
had  stuck  his  head  between  his  knees,  exclaiming  : “ This 
is  how  I will  meet  death,  for  we  are  certainly  dead  men.’^ 
Again  I said  to  him:  “These  creatures  are  all  inferior  to 
us,  and  what  you  see  is  only  smoke  and  shadow ; so  then 
raise  your  eyes.’’  When  he  had  raised  them  he  cried  out : 
“The  whole  Coliseum  is  in  flames,  and  the  fire  is  advancing 
on  us  ; ” then  covering  his  face  with  his  hands,  he  groaned 


128 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


again  that  he  was  dead,  and  that  he  could  not  endure  the 
sight  longer.  The  necromancer  appealed  for  my  support, 
entreating  me  to  stand  firm  by  him,  and  to  have  assafetida 
flung  upon  the  coals  ; so  I turned  to  Vincenzio  Romoli,  and 
told  him  to  make  the  fumigation  at  once.  While  uttering 
these  words  I looked  at  Agnolino  Gaddi,  whose  eyes  were 
starting  from  their  sockets  in  his  terror,  and  who  was  more 
than  half  dead,  and  said  to  him  : “ Agnolo,  in  time  and  place 
like  this  we  must  not  yield  to  fright,  but  do  the  utmost  to 
bestir  ourselves  ; therefore,  up  at  once,  and  fling  a handful 
of  that  assafetida  upon  the  fire.”  Agnolo,  at  the  moment 
when  he  moved  to  do  this,  let  fly  such  a volley  from  his 
breech,  that  it  was  far  more  effectual  than  the  assafetida.^ 
The  boy,  roused  by  that  great  stench  and  noise,  lifted  his 
face  a little,  and  hearing  me  laugh,  he  plucked  up  courage, 
and  said  the  devils  were  taking  to  flight  tempestuously.  So 
we  abode  thus  until  the  matin-bells  began  to  sound.  Then 
the  boy  told  us  again  that  but  few  remained,  and  those  were 
at  a distance.  When  the  necromancer  had  concluded  his 
ceremonies,  he  put  off  his  wizard’s  robe,  and  packed  up  a 
great  bundle  of  books  which  he  had  brought  with  him  ; then, 
all  together,  we  issued  with  him  from  the  circle,  huddling  as 
close  as  we  could  to  one  another,  especially  the  boy,  who 
had  got  into  the  middle,  and  taken  the  necromancer  by  his 
gown  and  me  by  the  cloak.  All  the  while  that  we  were 
going  toward  our  houses  in  the  Banchi,  he  kept  saying  that 
two  of  the  devils  he  had  seen  in  the  Coliseum  were  gambol- 
ling in  front  of  us,  skipping  now  along  the  roofs  and  now 
upon  the  ground.  The  necromancer  assured  me  that,  often 
as  he  had  entered  magic  circles,  he  had  never  met  with  such 
a serious  affair  as  this.  He  also  tried  to  persuade  me  to 
assist  him  in  consecrating  a book,  by  means  of  which  we 
should  extract  immeasurable  wealth,  since  we  could  call  up 
fiends  to  show  us  where  treasures  were,  whereof  the  earth 
is  full ; and  after  this  wise  we  should  become  the  richest 
of  mankind  : love  affairs  like  mine  were  nothing  but  vanities 
and  follies  without  consequence.  I replied  that  if  I were  a 
Latin  scholar  I should  be  very  willing  to  do  what  he  sug- 
gested. He  continued  to  persuade  me  by  arguing  that  Latin 
scholarship  was  of  no  importance,  and  that,  if  he  wanted,  he 


Fece  una  istrombazzata  di  coregge  con  tanta  abundanzia  di  merda. 


Silver  Medallion  -Death  of  Medusa. 
Vatican. 


Bas-relief — Perseus  and  Andromeda. 


BOOK  FIRST 


129 


could  have  found  plenty  of  good  Latinists  ; but  that  he  had 
never  met  'with  a man  of  soul  so  firm  as  mine,  and  that  I 
ought  to  follow  his  counsel.  Engaged  in  this  conversation, 
we  reached  our  homes,  and  each  one  of  us  dreamed  all  that 
night  of  devils. 

LXV 

As  we  were  in  the  habit  of  meeting  daily,  the  necromancer 
kept  urging  me  to  join  in  his  adventure.  Accordingly,  I 
asked  him  how  long  it  would  take,  and  where  we  should 
have  to  go.  To  this  he  answered  that  we  might  get  through 
with  it  in  less  than  a month,  and  that  the  most  suitable 
locality  for  the  purpose  was  the  hill  country  of  Norcia;  ^ a 
master  of  his  in  the  art  had  indeed  consecrated  such  a book 
quite  close  to  Rome,  at  a place  called  the  Badia  di  Farfa  ; but 
he  had  met  with  some  difficulties  there,  which  would  not 
occur  in  the  mountains  of  Norcia  ; the  peasants  also  of  that 
district  are  people  to  be  trusted,  and  have  some  practice  in 
these  matters,  so  that  at  a pinch  they  are  able  to  render 
valuable  assistance. 

This  priestly  sorcerer  moved  me  so  by  his  persuasions 
that  I was  well  disposed  to  comply  with  his  request ; but  I 
said  I wanted  first  to  finish  the  medals  I was  making  for  the 
Pope.  I had  confided  what  I was  doing  about  them  to  him 
alone,  begging  him  to  keep  my  secret.  At  the  same  time 
I never  stopped  asking  him  if  he  believed  that  I should  be 
reunited  to  my  Sicilian  Angelica  at  the  time  appointed  ; for 
the  date  was  drawing  near,  and  I thought  it  singular  that  I 
heard  nothing  about  her.  The  necromancer  told  me  that 
it  was  quite  certain  I should  find  myself  where  she  was, 
since  the  devils  never  break  their  word  when  they  promise, 
as  they  did  on  that  occasion  ; but  he  bade  me  keep  my  eyes 
open,  and  be  on  the  lookout  against  some  accident  which 
might  happen  to  me  in  that  connection,  and  put  restraint 
upon  myself  to  endure  somewhat  against  my  inclination,  for 
he  could  discern  a great  arid  imminent  danger  in  it : well 
would  it  be  for  me  if  I went  with  him  to  consecrate  the 
book,  since  this  would  avert  the  peril  that  menaced  me,  and 
would  make  us  both  most  fortunate. 

^ This  district  of  the  Central  Apennines  was  always  famous  for  witches, 
poisoners,  and  so  forth.  The  Farfa  mentioned  below  is  a village  of  the  Subine 
hills. 


1 


130 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


I was  beginning  to  hanker  after  the  adventure  more  than 
he  did  ; but  I said  that  a certain  Maestro  Giovanni  of  Castel 
Bolognese  had  just  come  to  Rome,  very  ingenious  in  the  art  of 
making  medals  of  the  sort  I made  in  steel,  and  that  I thirsted 
for  nothing  more  than  to  compete  with  him  and  take  the 
world  by  storm  with  some  great  masterpiece,  which  I hoped 
would  annihilate  all  those  enemies  of  mine  by  the  force  of 
genius  and  not  the  swordd  The  sorcerer  on  his  side  went 
on  urging  : “ Nay,  prithee,  Benvenuto,  come  with  me  and 
shun  a great  disaster  which  I see  impending  over  you/’ 
However,  I had  made  my  mind  up,  come  what  would,  to 
finish  my  medal,  and  we  were  now  approaching  the  end  of 
the  month.  I was  so  absorbed  and  enamoured  by  my  work 
that  I thought  no  more  about  Angelica  or  anything  of  that 
kind,  but  gave  my  whole  self  up  to  it. 

LXVI 

It  happened  one  day,  close  on  the  hours  of  vespers,  that 
I had  to  go  at  an  unusual  time  for  me  from  my  house  to 
my  workshop;  for  I ought  to  say  that  the  latter  was  in  the 
Banchi,  while  I lived  behind  the  Banchi,  and  went  rarely 
to  the  shop ; all  my  business  there  I left  in  the  hands  of  my 
partner,  Felice.  Having  stayed  a short  while  in  the  work- 
shop, I remembered  that  I had  to  say  something  to  Ales- 
sandro del  Bene.  So  I arose,  and  when  I reached  the 
Banchi,  I met  a man  called  Ser  Benedetto,  who  was  a great 
friend  of  mine.  He  was  a notary,  born  in  Florence,  son  of 
a blind  man  who  said  prayers  about  the  streets  for  alms, 
and  a Sienese  by  race.  This  Ser  Benedetto  had  been 
very  many  years  at  Naples  ; afterwards  he  had  settled  in 
Rome,  where  he  transacted  business  for  some  Sienese 
merchants  of  the  Chigi.^  My  partner  had  over  and  over 
again  asked  him  for  some  moneys  which  were  due  for 
certain  little  rings  confided  to  Ser  Benedetto.  That  very 
day,  meeting  him  in  the  Banchi,  he  demanded  his  money 
rather  roughly,  as  his  wont  was.  Benedetto  was  walking  with 
his  masters,  and  they,  annoyed  by  the  interruption,  scolded 

- Gio.  Bernardi  had  been  in  the  Duke  of  Ferrara’s  service.  Giovio  brought 
him  to  Rome,  where  he  was  patronised  by  the  Cardinals  Salviati  and  De’ 
Medici.  He  made  a famous  medal  of  Clement  VII.,  and  was  a Pontifical 
mace-bearer.  He  died  at  Faenza  in  I555' 

The  MS.  has  Figi ; but  this  is  probably  a mistake  of  the  amanuensis. 


BOOK  FIRST 


him  sharply,  saying  they  would  be  served  by  somebody  else, 
in  order  not  to  have  to  listen  to  such  barking.  Ser  Benedetto 
did  the  best  he  could  to  excuse  himself,  swore  that  he  had  paid 
the  goldsmith,  and  said  he  had  no  power  to  curb  the  rage 
of  madmen.  The  Sienese  took  his  words  ill,  and  dismissed 
him  on  the  spot.  Leaving  them,  he  ran  like  an  arrow  to  my 
shop,  probably  to  take  revenge  upon  Felice.  It  chanced 
that  just  in  the  middle  of  the  street  we  met.  I,  who  had 
heard  nothing  of  the  matter,  greeted  him  most  kindly,  accord- 
ing to  my  custom,  to  which  courtesy  he  replied  with  insults. 
Then  what  the  sorcerer  had  said  flashed  all  at  once  upon 
my  mind  ; and  bridling  myself  as  well  as  I was  able,  in  the 
way  he  bade  me,  I answered  : “ Good  brother  Benedetto, 
don’t  fly  into  a rage  with  me,  for  I have  done  you  no  harm, 
nor  do  I know  anything  about  these  affairs  of  yours.  Please 
go  and  finish  what  you  have  to  do  with  Felice.  He  is  quite 
capable  of  giving  you  a proper  answer  ; but  inasmuch  as 
I know  nothing  about  it,  you  are  wrong  to  abuse  me  in  this 
way,  especially  as  you  are  well  aware  that  I am  not  the  man 
to  put  up  with  insults.”  He  retorted  that  I knew  everything, 
and  that  he  was  the  man  to  make  me  bear  a heavier  load 
than  that,  and  that  Felice  and  I were  two  great  rascals.  By 
this  time  a crowd  had  gathered  round  to  hear  the  quarrel. 
Provoked  by  his  ugly  words,  I stooped  and  took  up  a lump 
of  mud — for  it  had  rained — ^and  hurled  it  with  a quick 
and  unpremeditated  movement  at  his  face.  He  ducked 
his  head,  so  that  the  mud  hit  him  in  the  middle  of  the  skull. 
There  was  a stone  in  it  with  several  sharp  angles,  one  of 
which  striking  him,  he  fell  stunned  like  a dead  man : where- 
upon all  the  bystanders,  seeing  the  great  quantity  of  blood, 
judged  that  he  was  really  dead. 


LXVII 

While  he  was  still  lying  on  the  ground,  and  people  were 
preparing  to  carry  him  away,  Pompeo  the  jeweller  passed 
by.  The  Pope  had  sent  for  him  to  give  orders  about  some 
jewels.  Seeing  the  fellow  in  such  a miserable  plight,  he 
asked  who  had  struck  him ; on  which  they  told  him : 
“ Benvenuto  did  it,  but  the  stupid  creature  brought  it  down 
upon  himself.”  No  sooner  had  Pompeo  reached  the  Pope 


132 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


than  he  began  to  speak : “ Most  blessed  Father,  Benvenuto 
has  this  very  moment  murdered  Tobbia;  I saw  it  with  my 
own  eyes.”  On  this  the  Pope  in  a fury  ordered  the  Governor, 
who  was  in  the  presence,  to  take  and  hang  me  at  once  in  the 
place  where  the  homicide  had  been  committed,  adding  that 
he  must  do  all  he  could  to  catch  me,  and  not  appear  again 
before  him  until  he  had  hanged  me. 

When  I saw  the  unfortunate  Benedetto  stretched  upon 
the  ground,  I thought  at  once  of  the  peril  I was  in,  con- 
sidering the  power  of  my  enemies,  and  what  might  ensue 
from  this  disaster.  Making  off,  I took  refuge  in  the  house 
of  Messer  Giovanni  Gaddi,  clerk  of  the  Camera,  with  the 
intention  of  preparing  as  soon  as  possible  to  escape  from 
Rome.  He,  however,  advised  me  not  to  be  in  such  a hurry, 
for  it  might  turn  out  perhaps  that  the  evil  was  not  so  great 
as  I imagined ; and  calling  Messer  Annibal  Caro,  who  lived 
with  him,  bade  him  go  for  information. 

While  these  arrangements  were  being  made,  a Roman 
gentleman  appeared,  who  belonged  to  the  household  of 
Cardinal  de’  Medici,  and  had  been  sent  by  him.^  Taking 
Messer  Giovanni  and  me  apart,  he  told  us  that  the  Cardinal 
had  reported  to  him  what  the  Pope  said,  and  that  there  was 
no  way  of  helping  me  out  of  the  scrape  ; it  would  be  best  for 
me  to  shun  the  first  fury  of  the  storm  by  flight,  and  not  to 
risk  myself  in  any  house  in  Rome.  Upon  this  gentleman^s 
departure,  Messer  Giovanni  looked  me  in  the  face  as  though 
he  were  about  to  cry,  and  said:  “Ah  me!  Ah  woe  is  me! 
There  is  nothing  I can  do  to  aid  you!”  I replied:  “ B}^ 
God’s  means,  I shall  aid  myself  alone  ; only  I request  you 
to  put  one  of  your  horses  at  my  disposition.”  They  had 
already  saddled  a black  Turkish  horse,  the  finest  and  the  best 
in  Rome.  I mounted  with  an  arquebuse  upon  the  saddle- 
bow, wound  up  in  readiness  to  fire,  if  need  were.^  When 
I reached  Ponte  Sisto,  I found  the  whole  of  the  Bargello’s 
guard  there,  both  horse  and  foot.  So,  making  a virtue  of 
necessity,  I put  my  horse  boldly  to  a sharp  trot,  and  with 
God’s  grace,  being  somehow  unperceived  by  them,  passed 

^ Ippolito  de’  Medici  was  a Cardinal,  much  against  his  natural  inclination. 
When  he  went  as  Papal  Legate  to  Hungary  in  1532,  he  assumed  the  airs  and 
style  of  a Condottiere.  His  jealousy  of  his  cousin  Alessandro  led  to  his 
untimely  death  by  poison  in  1535- 

The  gun  was  an  arquebuso  a ruola,  which  had  a wheel  l:o  cock  it. 


BOOK  FIRST 


133 


freely  through.  Then,  with  all  the  speed  I could,  I took 
the  road  to  Palombara,  a fief  of  my  lord  Giovanbatista 
Savello,  whence  I sent  the  horse  back  to  Messer  Giovanni, 
without,  however,  thinking  it  well  to  inform  him  where  I 
was.^  Lord  Giovanbatista,  after  very  kindly  entertaining 
me  two  days,  advised  me  to  remove  and  go  toward  Naples 
till  the  storm  blew  over.  So,  providing  me  with  company,  he 
set  me  on  the  way  to  Naples. 

While  travelling,  I met  a sculptor  of  my  acquaintance,  who 
was  going  to  San  Germano  to  finish  the  tomb  of  Piero  de’ 
Medici  at  Monte  Cassino.^  His  name  was  Solosmeo,  and  he 
gave  me  the  news  that  on  the  very  evening  of  the  fray.  Pope 
Clement  sent  one  of  his  chamberlains  to  inquire  how  Tobbia 
was  getting  on.  Finding  him  at  work,  unharmed,  and  with- 
out even  knowing  anything  about  the  matter,  the  messenger 
went  back  and  told  the  Pope,  who  turned  round  to  Pompeo 
and  said:  “You  are  a good-for-nothing  rascal;  but  I promise 
you  well  that  you  have  stirred  a snake  up  which  will  sting  you, 
and  serve  you  right ! Then  he  addressed  himself  to  Cardinal 
de’  Medici,  and  commissioned  him  to  look  after  me,  adding 
that  he  should  be  very  sorry  to  let  me  slip  through  his  fingers. 
And  so  Solosmeo  and  I went  on  our  way  singing  toward  Monte 
Cassino,  intending  to  pursue  our  journey  thence  in  company 
toward  Naples. 


LXVIII 

When  Solosmeo  had  inspected  his  affairs  at  Monte 
Cassino,  we  resumed  our  journey ; and  having  come  within 
a mile  of  Naples,  we  were  met  by  an  innkeeper,  who  invited 
us  to  his  house,  and  said  he  had  been  at  Florence  many  years 
with  Carlo  Ginori ; ® adding,  that  if  we  put  up  at  his  inn,  he 

^ A village  in  the  Sabina,  north  of  Tivoli.  Giov.  Battista  Savelli,  of  a 
great  Roman  house,  was  a captain  of  cavalry  in  the  Papal  service  after  1530. 
In  1540  he  entered  the  service  of  Duke  Cosimo,  and  died  in  1553. 

^ This  sculptor  was  Antonio  Solosmeo  of  Settignano.  The  monument 
erected  to  Piero  de’  Medici  (drowned  in  the  Garigliano,  1504)  at  Monte 
Cassino  is  by  no  means  a brilliant  piece  of  Florentine  art.  Piero  was  the 
exiled  son  of  Lorenzo  the  Magnificent ; and  the  Medici,  when  they  regained 
their  principality,  erected  this  monument  to  his  memory,  employing  Antonio 
da  San  Gallo,  Francesco  da  San  Gallo,  and  a Neapolitan,  Matteo  de’  Quaranta. 
The  work  was  begun  in  1532.  Solosmeo  appears  from  this  passage  in  Cellini 
to  have  taken  the  execution  of  it  over. 

^ A Gonfalonier  of  the  Republic  in  1527. 


134 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


would  treat  us  most  kindly,  for  the  reason  that  we  both  were 
Florentines.  We  told  him  frequently  that  we  did  not  want 
to  go  to  him.  However,  he  kept  passing,  sometimes  in  front 
and  sometimes  behind,  perpetually  repeating  that  he  would 
have  us  stop  at  his  hostelry.  When  this  began  to  bore  me, 
I asked  if  he  could  tell  me  anything  about  a certain  Sicilian 
woman  called  Beatrice,  who  had  a beautiful  daughter  named 
Angelica,  and  both  were  courtesans.  Taking  it  into  his  head 
that  I was  jeering  him,  he  cried  out : “ God  send  mischief  to 
all  courtesans  and  such  as  favour  them  ! ” Then  he  set  spurs 
to  his  horse,  and  made  off  as  though  he  was  resolved  to  leave 
us.  I felt  some  pleasure  at  having  rid  myself  in  so  fair  a 
manner  of  that  ass  of  an  innkeeper  ; and  yet  I was  rather  the 
loser  than  the  gainer ; for  the  great  love  I bore  Angelica  had 
come  back  to  my  mind,  and  while  I was  conversing,  not 
without  some  lover’s  sighs,  upon  this  subject  with  Solosmeo, 
we  saw  the  man  returning  to  us  at  a gallop.  When  he  drew 
up,  he  said  : “ Two  or  perhaps  three  days  ago  a woman  and  a 
girl  came  back  to  a house  in  my  neighbourhood  ; they  had 
the  names  you  mentioned,  but  whether  they  are  Sicilians  I 
cannot  say.”  I answered  : “ Such  power  over  me  has  that 
name  of  Angelica,  that  I am  now  determined  to  put  up  at 
your  inn.” 

We  rode  on  all  together  with  mine  host  into  the  town  of 
Naples,  and  descended  at  his  house.  Minutes  seemed  years 
to  me  till  I had  put  my  things  in  order,  which  I did  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye  ; then  I went  to  the  house,  which  was  not 
far  from  our  inn,  and  found  there  my  Angelica,  who  greeted 
me  with  infinite  demonstrations  of  the  most  unbounded 
passion.  I stayed  with  her  from  evenfall  until  the  following 
morning,  and  enjoyed  such  pleasure  as  I never  had  before  or 
since  ; but  while  drinking  deep  of  this  delight,  it  occurred  to 
my  mind  how  exactly  on  that  day  the  month  expired,  which 
had  been  prophesied  within  the  necromantic  circle  by  the 
devils.  So  then  let  every  man  who  enters  into  relation  with 
those  spirits  weigh  well  the  inestimable  perils  I have  passed 
through  ! 


LXIX 


I happened  to  have  in  my  purse  a diamond,  which  I 
showed  about  among  the  goldsmiths  ; and  though  I was  but 


BOOK  FIRST 


135 


young,  my  reputation  as  an  able  artist  was  so  well  known  even 
at  Naples  that  they  welcomed  me  most  warmly.  Among 
others,  I made  acquaintance  with  a most  excellent  companion, 
a jeweller,  Messer  Domenico  Fontana  by  name.  This  worthy 
man  left  his  shop  for  the  three  days  that  I spent  in  Naples, 
nor  ever  quitted  my  company,  but  showed  me  many  admir- 
able monuments  of  antiquity  in  the  city  and  its  neighbour- 
hood. Moreover,  he  took  me  to  pay  my  respects  to  the 
Viceroy  of  Naples,  who  had  let  him  know  that  he  should  like 
to  see  me.  When  I presented  myself  to  his  Excellency, 
he  received  me  with  much  honour  ; ^ and  while  we  were 
exchanging  compliments,  the  diamond  which  I have  men- 
tioned caught  his  eye.  He  made  me  show  it  him,  and 
prayed  me,  if  I parted  with  it,  to  give  him  the  refusal. 
Having  taken  back  the  stone,  I offered  it  again  to  his  Ex- 
cellency, adding  that  the  diamond  and  I were  at  his  service. 
Then  he  said  that  the  diamond  pleased  him  well,  but  that  he 
should  be  much  better  pleased  if  I were  to  stay  with  him  ; 
he  would  make  such  terms  with  me  as  would  cause  me  to 
feel  satisfied.  We  spoke  many  words  of  courtesy  on  both 
sides ; and  then  coming  to  the  merits  of  the  diamond,  his 
Excellency  bade  me  without  hesitation  name  the  price  at 
which  I valued  it.  Accordingly  I said  that  it  was  worth 
exactly  two  hundred  crowns.  He  rejoined  that  in  his 
opinion  I had  not  overvalued  it ; but  that  since  I had  set 
it,  and  he  knew  me  for  the  first  artist  in  the  world,  it  would 
not  make  the  same  effect  when  mounted  by  another  hand. 
To  this  I said  that  I had  not  set  the  stone,  and  that  it  was  not 
well  set ; its  brilliancy  was  due  to  its  own  excellence  ; and 
that  if  I were  to  mount  it  afresh,  I could  make  it  show  far 
better  than  it  did.  Then  I put  my  thumb-nail  to  the  angles 
of  its  facets,  took  it  from  the  ring,  cleaned  it  up  a little, 
and  handed  it  to  the  Viceroy.  Delighted  and  astonished,  he 
wrote  me  out  a cheque^  for  the  two  hundred  crowns  I had 
demanded. 

When  I returned  to  my  lodging,  I found  letters  from  the 
Cardinal  de’  Medici,  in  which  he  told  me  to  come  back 

^ The  Spanish  Viceroy  was  at  this  time  Pietro  Alvarez  de  Toledo,  Marquis 
of  Villafranca,  and  uncle  of  the  famous  Duke  of  Alva.  He  governed  Naples 
for  twenty  years,  from  1 532  onwards. 

^ Mi  fece  una  polizza,  A polizza  was  an  order  for  money,  practically 
identical  with  our  cheque. 


136 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


post-haste  to  Rome,  and  to  dismount  without  delay  at  the 
palace  of  his  most  reverend  lordship.  I read  the  letter  to 
my  Angelica,  who  begged  me  with  tears  of  affection  either 
to  remain  in  Naples  or  to  take  her  with  me.  I replied 
that  if  she  was  disposed  to  come  with  me,  I would  give 
up  to  her  keeping  the  two  hundred  ducats  I had  received 
from  the  Viceroy.  Her  mother  perceiving  us  in  this  close 
conversation,  drew  nigh  and  said  : “ Benvenuto,  if  you  want 
to  take  my  daughter  to  Rome,  leave  me  a sum  of  fifteen 
ducats,  to  pay  for  my  lying-in,  and  then  I will  travel  after 
you.”  I told  the  old  harridan  that  I would  very  gladly 
leave  her  thirty  if  she  would  give  me  my  Angelica.  We 

made  the  bargain,  and  Angelica  entreated  me  to  buy  her 

a gown  of  black  velvet,  because  the  stuff  was  cheap  at 
Naples.  I consented  to  everything,  sent  for  the  velvet, 
settled  its  price  and  paid  for  it  ; then  the  old  woman,  who 
thought  me  over  head  and  ears  in  love,  begged  for  a gown 
of  fine  cloth  for  herself,  as  well  as  other  outlays  for  her 
sons,  and  a good  bit  more  money  than  I had  offered.  I 
turned  to  her  with  a pleasant  air  and  said : “ My  dear 
Beatrice,  are  you  satisfied  with  what  I offered  ? ” She 

answered  that  she  was  not ; thereupon  I said  that  what 

was  not  enough  for  her  would  be  quite  enough  for  me  ; and 
having  kissed  Angelica,  we  parted,  she  with  tears,  and  I 
with  laughter,  and  off  at  once  I set  for  Rome. 


LXX 

I left  Naples  by  night  with  my  money  in  my  pocket,  and 
this  I did  to  prevent  being  set  upon  or  murdered,  as  is  the 
way  there  ; but  when  I came  to  Selciata/  I had  to  defend 
m^^self  with  great  address  and  bodily  prowess  from  several 
horsemen  who  came  out  to  assassinate  me.  During  the 
following  days,  after  leaving  Solosmeo  at  his  work  in  Monte 
Cassino,  I came  one  morning  to  breakfast  at  the  inn  of 
Adanagni  and  when  I was  near  the  house,  I shot  some 
birds  with  my  arquebuse.  An  iron  spike,  which  was  in 
the  lock  of  my  musket,  tore  my  right  hand.  Though  the 

^ Ponte  a Selice,  between  Capua  and  Aversa, 

^ Anagni,  where  Boniface  Vlll.  was  outraged  to  the  death  by  the  French 
partisans  of  Philip  le  Bel. 


BOOK  FIRST 


137 


wound  was  not  of  any  consequence,  it  seemed  to  be  so,  be- 
cause it  bled  abundantly.  Going  into  the  inn,  I put  my 
horse  up,  and  ascended  to  a large  gallery,  where  I found  a 
party  of  Neapolitan  gentlemen  just  upon  the  point  of  sitting 
down  to  table  ; they  had  with  them  a young  woman  of 
quality,  the  loveliest  I ever  saw.  At  the  moment  when  I 
entered  the  room,  I was  followed  by  a very  brave  young 
serving-man  of  mine  holding  a big  partisan  in  his  hand. 
The  sight  of  us,  our  arms,  and  the  blood,  inspired  those 
poor  gentlemen  with  such  terror,  particularly  as  the  place 
was  known  to  be  a nest  of  murderers,  that  they  rose  from 
table  and  called  on  God  in  a panic  to  protect  them.  I began 
to  laugh,  and  said  that  God  had  protected  them  already,  for 
that  I was  a man  to  defend  them  against  whoever  tried  to 
do  them  harm.  Then  I asked  them  for  something  to  bind 
up  my  wounded  hand  ; and  the  charming  lady  took  out  a 
handkerchief  richly  embroidered  with  gold,  wishing  to  make 
a bandage  with  it.  I refused  ; but  she  tore  the  piece  in 
half,  and  in  the  gentlest  manner  wrapt  my  hand  up  with 
her  fingers.  The  company  thus  having  regained  confidence, 
we  dined  together  very  gaily ; and  when  the  meal  was  over, 
we  all  mounted  and  went  off  together.  The  gentlemen, 
however,  were  not  as  yet  quite  at  their  ease  ; so  they  left 
me  in  their  cunning  to  entertain  the  lady,  while  they  kept 
at  a short  distance  behind.  I rode  at  her  side  upon  a pretty 
little  horse  of  mine,  making  signs  to  my  servant  that  he 
should  keep  somewhat  apart,  which  gave  us  the  opportunity 
of  discussing  things  that  are  not  sold  by  the  apothecary.^ 
In  this  way  I journeyed  to  Rome  with  the  greatest  enjoy- 
ment I have  ever  had. 

When  I got  to  Rome,  I dismounted  at  the  palace  of 
Cardinal  de’  Medici,  and  having  obtained  an  audience  of 
his  most  reverend  lordship,  paid  my  respects,  and  thanked 
him  warmly  for  my  recall.  I then  entreated  him  to  secure 
me  from  imprisonment,  and  even  from  a fine  if  that  were 
possible.  The  Cardinal  was  very  glad  to  see  me  ; told  me 
to  stand  in  no  fear  ; then  turned  to  one  of  his  gentlemen, 
called  Messer  Pier  Antonio  Pecci  of  Siena,  ordering  him  to 
tell  the  Bargello  not  to  touch  me.^  He  then  asked  him 

^ private  and  sentimental. 

2 This  Pecci  passed  into  the  service  of  Caterina  de’  Medici.  In  1551  he 


138  LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 

how  the  man  was  going  on  whose  head  I had  broken  with 
the  stone.  Messer  Pier  Antonio  replied  that  he  was  very 
ill,  and  that  he  would  probably  be  even  worse  ; for  when 
he  heard  that  I was  coming  back  to  Rome,  he  swore  he 
would  die  to  serve  me  an  ill  turn.  When  the  Cardinal 
heard  that,  he  burst  into  a fit  of  laughter,  and  cried  : “ The 
fellow  could  not  have  taken  a better  way  than  this  to  make 
us  know  that  he  was  born  a Sienese.”  After  that  he 
turned  to  me  and  said : “For  our  reputation  and  your 
own,  refrain  these  four  or  five  days  from  going  about  in 
the  Banchi ; after  that  go  where  you  like,  and  let  fools  die 
at  their  own  pleasure.” 

I went  home  and  set  myself  to  finishing  the  medal  which 
I had  begun,  with  the  head  of  Pope  Clement  and  a figure 
of  Peace  on  the  reverse.  The  figure  was  a slender  woman, 
dressed  in  very  thin  drapery,  gathered  at  the  waist,  with 
a little  torch  in  her  hand,  which  was  burning  a heap  of 
arms  bound  together  like  a trophy.  In  the  background  I 
had  shown  part  of  a temple,  where  was  Discord  chained 
with  a load  of  fetters.  Round  about  it  ran  a legend  in  these 
words  : Clauduntur  belli  portced 

During  the  time  that  I was  finishing  this  medal,  the 
man  whom  I had  wounded  recovered,  and  the  Pope  kept 
incessantly  asking  for  me.  I,  however,  avoided  visiting 
Cardinal  de’  Medici  ; for  whenever  I showed  my  face 
before  him,  his  lordship  gave  me  some  commission  of  im- 
portance, which  hindered  me  from  working  at  my  medal 
to  the  end.  Consequently  Messer  Pier  Carnesecchi,  who 
was  a great  favourite  of  the  Pope’s,  undertook  to  keep  me 
in  sight,  and  let  me  adroitly  understand  how  much  the 
Pope  desired  my  services.^  I told  him  that  in  a few  days 
I would  prove  to  his  Holiness  that  his  service  had  never 
been  neglected  by  me. 

schemed  to  withdraw  Siena  from  the  Spanish  to  the  French  cause,  and  was 
declared  a rebel. 

^ The  medal  was  struck  to  celebrate  the  peace  in  Christendom  between 
1 530  and  1536. 

^ Piero  Carnesecchi  was  one  of  the  martyrs  of  free-thought  in  Italy.  He 
adopted  Protestant  opinions,  and  was  beheaded  and  burned  in  Rome,  August 

1567 


BOOK  FIRST 


139 


LXXI  ^ 

Not  many  days  had  passed  before,  my  medal  being  finished, 
I stamped  it  in  gold,  silver,  and  copper.  After  I had  shown 
it  to  Messer  Pietro,  he  immediately  introduced  me  to  the 
Pope.  It  was  on  a day  in  April  after  dinner,  and  the  weather 
very  fine  ; the  Pope  was  in  the  Belvedere.  After  entering 
the  presence,  I put  my  medals  together  with  the  dies  of  steel 
into  his  hand.  He  took  them,  and  recognising  at  once  their 
mastery  of  art,  looked  Messer  Piero  in  the  face  and  said  : 
“The  ancients  never  had  such  medals  made  for  them  as 
these.’^ 

While  he  and  the  others  were  inspecting  them,  taking  up 
now  the  dies  and  now  the  medals  in  their  hands,  I began  to 
speak  as  submissively  as  I was  able  : “ If  a greater  power  had 
not  controlled  the  working  of  my  inauspicious  stars,  and 
hindered  that  with  which  they  violently  menaced  me,  your 
Holiness,  without  your  fault  or  mine,  would  have  lost  a 
faithful  and  loving  servant.  It  must,  most  blessed  Father, 
be  allowed  that  in  those  cases  where  men  are  risking  all 
upon  one  throw,  it  is  not  wrong  to  do  as  certain  poor  and 
simple  men  are  wont  to  say,  who  tell  us  we  must  mark 
seven  times  and  cut  once.  ^ Your  Holiness  will  remember 
how  the  malicious  and  lying  tongue  of  my  bitter  enemy  so 
easily  aroused  your  anger,  that  you  ordered  the  Governor 
to  have  me  taken  on  the  spot  and  hanged  ; but  I have  no 
doubt  that  when  you  had  become  aware  of  the  irreparable 
act  by  which  you  would  have  wronged  yourself,  in  cutting 
off  from  you  a servant  such  as  even  now  your  Holiness  hath 
said  he  is,  I am  sure,  I repeat,  that,  before  God  and  the  world, 
you  would  have  felt  no  trifling  twinges  of  remorse.  Excellent 
and  virtuous  fathers,  and  masters  of  like  quality,  ought  not  to 
let  their  arm  in  wrath  descend  upon  their  sons  and  servants 
with  such  inconsiderate  haste,  seeing  that  subsequent  re- 
pentance will  avail  them  nothing.  But  now  that  God  has 
overruled  the  malign  influences  of  the  stars  and  saved  me 
for  your  Holiness,  I humbly  beg  you  another  time  not  to  let 
yourself  so  easily  be  stirred  to  rage  against  me.’^ 

1 Segnar  sette  e tagliar  uno.  A proverb  derived  possibly  from  felling  trees  ; 
or,  as  some  commentators  interpret,  from  the  points  made  by  sculptors  on 
their  marble  before  they  block  the  statue  out. 


140 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


The  Pope  had  stopped  from  looking  at  the  medals  and 
was  now  listening  attentively  to  what  I said.  There  were 
many  noblemen  of  the  greatest  consequence  present,  which 
made  him  blush  a little,  as  it  were  for  shame  ; and  not 
knowing  how  else  to  extricate  himself  from  this  entangle- 
ment, he  said  that  he  could  not  remember  having  given 
such  an  order.  I changed  the  conversation  in  order  to  cover 
his  embarrassment.  His  Holiness  then  began  to  speak  again 
about  the  medals,  and  asked  what  method  I had  used  to 
stamp  them  so  marvellously,  large  as  they  were  ; for  he  had 
never  met  with  ancient  pieces  of  that  size.  We  talked  a little 
on  this  subject ; but  being  not  quite  easy  that  I might  not 
begin  another  lecture  sharper  than  the  last,  he  praised  my 
medals,  and  said  they  gave  him  the  greatest  satisfaction,  but 
that  he  should  like  another  reverse  made  according  to  a fancy 
of  his  own,  if  it  were  possible  to  stamp  them  with  two  dif- 
ferent patterns.  I said  that  it  was  possible  to  do  so.  Then 
his  Holiness  commissioned  me  to  design  the  history  of  Moses 
when  he  strikes  the  rock  and  water  issues  from  it,  with  this 
motto  : Ut  bibat  populus}  At  last  he  added : “ Go,  Benvenuto  ; 
you  will  not  have  finished  it  before  I have  provided  for  your 
fortune.”  After  I had  taken  leave,  the  Pope  proclaimed 
before  the  whole  company  that  he  would  give  me  enough  to 
live  on  wealthily  without  the  need  of  labouring  for  any  one 
but  him.  So  I devoted  myself  entirely  to  working  out  this 
reverse  with  the  Moses  on  it. 


LXXII 

In  the  meantime  the  Pope  was  taken  ill,  and  his  physi- 
cians thought  the  case  was  dangerous.  Accordingly  my 
enemy  began  to  be  afraid  of  me,  and  engaged  some 
Neapolitan  soldiers  to  do  to  me  what  he  was  dreading  I 
might  do  to  him.^  I had  therefore  much  trouble  to  defend 
my  poor  life.  In  course  of  time,  however,  I completed  the 
reverse  ; and  when  I took  it  to  the  Pope,  I found  him  in  bed 
in  a most  deplorable  condition.  Nevertheless,  he  received 

^ The  medal  commemorated  a deep  well  sunk  by  Clement  at  Orvieto. 

2 The  meaning  of  this  is,  that  if  Clement  died,  Cellini  would  have  had  his 
opportunity  of  vengeance  during  the  anarchy  which  followed  a vacancy  of  the 
Papal  See. 


BOOK  FIRST 


141 


me  with  the  greatest  kindness,  and  wished  to  inspect  the 
medals  and  the  dies.  He  sent  for  spectacles  and  lights,  but 
was  unable  to  see  anything  clearly.  Then  he  began  to  fumble 
with  his  fingers  at  them,  and  having  felt  them  a short  while, 
he  fetched  a deep  sigh,  and  said  to  his  attendants  that  he  was 
much  concerned  about  me,  but  that  if  God  gave  him  back  his 
health  he  would  make  it  all  right. 

Three  days  afterwards  the  Pope  died,  and  I was  left  with 
all  my  labour  lost ; yet  I plucked  up  courage,  and  told  myself 
that  these  medals  had  won  me  so  much  celebrity,  that  any 
Pope  who  was  elected  would  give  me  work  to  do,  and  per- 
adventure  bring  me  better  fortune.  Thus  I encouraged  and 
put  heart  into  myself,  and  buried  in  oblivion  all  the  injuries 
which  Pompeo  had  done  me.  Then  putting  on  my  arms 
and  girding  my  sword,  I went  to  San  Piero,  and  kissed  the 
feet  of  the  dead  Pope,  not  without  shedding  tears.  After- 
wards I returned  to  the  Banchi  to  look  on  at  the  great  com- 
motion which  always  happens  on  such  occasions. 

While  I was  sitting  in  the  street  with  several  of  my  friends, 
Pompeo  went  by,  attended  by  ten  men  very  well  armed ; and 
when  he  came  just  opposite,  he  stopped,  as  though  about  to 
pick  a quarrel  with  myself.  My  companions,  brave  and  ad- 
venturous young  men,  made  signs  to  me  to  draw  my  sword ; 
but  it  flashed  through  my  mind  that  if  I drew,  some  terrible 
mischief  might  result  for  persons  who  were  wholly  innocent. 
Therefore  I considered  that  it  would  be  better  if  I put  my  life 
to  risk  alone.  When  Pompeo  had  stood  there  time  enough 
to  say  two  Ave  Maries,  he  laughed  derisively  in  my  direction  ; 
and  going  off,  his  fellows  also  laughed  and  wagged  their  heads, 
with  many  other  insolent  gestures.  My  companions  wanted 
to  begin  the  fray  at  once ; but  I told  them  hotly  that  I was 
quite  able  to  conduct  my  quarrels  to  an  end  by  myself,  and 
that  I had  no  need  of  stouter  fighters  than  I was;  so  that 
each  of  them  might  mind  his  business.  My  friends  were 
angry  and  went  off  muttering.  Now  there  was  among 
them  my  dearest  comrade,  named  Albertaccio  del  Bene, 
own  brother  to  Alessandro  and  Albizzo,  who  is  now  a very 
rich  man  in  Lyons.  He  was  the  most  redoubtable  young 
man  I ever  knew,  and  the  most  high-spirited,  and  loved  me 
like  himself ; and  insomuch  as  he  was  well  aware  that  my 
forbearance  had  not  been  inspired  by  want  of  courage,  but 
by  the  most  daring  bravery,  for  he  knew  me  down  to  the 


142 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


bottom  of  my  nature,  he  took  my  words  up  and  begged  me 
to  favour  him  so  far  as  to  associate  him  with  myself  in  all  I 
meant  to  do.  I replied : “ Dear  Albertaccio,  dearest  to  me 
above  all  men  that  live,  the  time  will  very  likely  come  when 
you  shall  give  me  aid  ; but  in  this  case,  if  you  love  me,  do  not 
attend  to  me,  but  look  to  your  own  business,  and  go  at  once 
like  our  other  friends,  for  now  there  is  no  time  to  lose.”  These 
words  were  spoken  in  one  breath. 


LXXIII 

In  the  meanwhile  my  enemies  had  proceeded  slowly 
toward  Chiavica,  as  the  place  was  called,  and  had  arrived 
at  the  crossing  of  several  roads,  going  in  different  direc- 
tions ; but  the  street  in  which  Pompeo’s  house  stood  was  the 
one  which  leads  straight  to  the  Campo  di  Fiore.  Some 
business  or  other  made  him  enter  the  apothecary’s  shop 
which  stood  at  the  corner  of  Chiavica,  and  there  he  stayed 
a while  transacting  it.  I had  just  been  told  that  he  had 
boasted  of  the  insult  which  he  fancied  he  had  put  upon 
me ; but  be  that  as  it  may,  it  was  to  his  misfortune ; for 
precisely  when  I came  up  to  the  corner,  he  was  leaving  the 
shop,  and  his  bravi  had  opened  their  ranks  and  received 
him  in  their  midst.  I drew  a little  dagger  with  a sharpened 
edge,  and  breaking  the  line  of  his  defenders,  laid  my  hands 
upon  his  breast  so  quickly  and  coolly,  that  none  of  them  were 
able  to  prevent  me.  Then  I aimed  to  strike  him  in  the  face  ; 
but  fright  made  him  turn  his  head  round  ; and  I stabbed  him 
just  beneath  the  ear.  I only  gave  two  blows,  for  he  fell  stone 
dead  at  the  second.  I had  not  meant  to  kill  him  ; but  as  the 
saying  goes,  knocks  are  not  dealt  by  measure.  With  my  left 
hand  I plucked  back  the  dagger,  and  with  my  right  hand  drew 
my  sword  to  defend  my  life.  However,  all  those  bravi  ran 
up  to  the  corpse  and  took  no  action  against  me ; so  I went 
back  alone  through  Strada  Giulia,  considering  how  best  to 
put  myself  in  safety. 

I had  walked  about  three  hundred  paces,  when  Piloto 
the  goldsmith,  my  very  good  friend,  came  up  and  said : 
“ Brother,  now  that  the  mischief’s  done,  we  must  see  to 
saving  you.”  I replied : “ Let  us  go  to  Albertaccio  del 
Bene’s  house  ; it  is  only  a few  minutes  since  I told  him 


BOOK  FIRST 


143 


I should  soon  have  need  of  him.”  When  we  arrived  there, 
Albertaccio  and  I embraced  with  measureless  affection  ; 
and  soon  the  whole  flower  of  the  young  men  of  the  Banchi, 
of  all  nations  except  the  Milanese,  came  crowding  in  ; and 
each  and  all  made  proffer  of  their  own  life  to  save  mine. 
Messer  Luigi  Rucellai  also  sent  with  marvellous  prompti- 
tude and  courtesy  to  put  his  services  at  my  disposal,  as  did 
many  other  great  folk  of  his  station  ; for  they  all  agreed  in 
blessing  my  hands, ^ judging  that  Pompeo  had  done  me  too 
great  and  unforgivable  an  injury,  and  marvelling  that  I had 
put  up  with  him  so  long. 


LXXIV 

Cardinal  Cornaro,  on  hearing  of  the  affair,  despatched 
thirty  soldiers,  with  as  many  partisans,  pikes,  and  arque- 
buses, to  bring  me  with  all  due  respect  to  his  quarters.^ 
This  he  did  unasked  ; whereupon  I accepted  the  invitation, 
and  went  off  with  them,  while  more  than  as  many  of  the 
young  men  bore  me  company.  Meanwhile,  Messer  Traiano, 
Pompeo’s  relative  and  first  chamberlain  to  the  Pope,  sent  a 
Milanese  of  high  rank  to  Cardinal  de’  Medici,  giving  him 
news  of  the  great  crime  I had  committed,  and  calling  on 
his  most  reverend  lordship  to  chastise  me.  The  Cardinal 
retorted  on  the  spot : “ His  crime  would  indeed  have  been 
great  if  he  had  not  committed  this  lesser  one  ; thank  Messer 
Traiano  from  me  for  giving  me  this  information  of  a fact  of 
which  I had  not  heard  before.”  Then  he  turned  and  in 
presence  of  the  nobleman  said  to  the  Bishop  of  Frulli,^  his 
gentleman  and  intimate  acquaintance  : “ Search  diligently 
after  my  friend  Benvenuto  ; I want  to  help  and  defend 
him ; and  whoso  acts  against  him  acts  against  myself.” 
The  Milanese  nobleman  went  back,  much  disconcerted, 
while  the  Bishop  of  Frulli  came  to  visit  me  at  Cardinal 
Cornaro’s  palace.  Presenting  himself  to  the  Cardinal,  he 
related  how  Cardinal  de’  Medici  had  sent  for  Benvenuto, 
and  wanted  to  be  his  protector.  Now  Cardinal  Cornaro, 

^ Tutti  d'accordo  mi  benedissono  le  mani.  This  is  tantamount  to  approving 
Cellini’s  handiwork  in  murdering  Pompeo. 

^ This  was  Francesco,  brother  to  Cardinal  Marco  Cornaro.  He  received 
the  hat  in  1528,  while  yet  a layman,  and  the  Bishopric  of  Brescia  in  1531. 

^ Forll.  The  Bishop  was  Bernardo  de’  Medici. 


144 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


who  had  the  touchy  temper  of  a bear,  flew  into  a rage,  and 
told  the  Bishop  he  was  quite  as  well  able  to  defend  me 
as  Cardinal  de’  Medici.  The  Bishop,  in  reply,  entreated  to 
be  allowed  to  speak  with  me  on  some  matters  of  his  patron 
which  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  affair.  Cornaro  bade 
him  for  that  day  make  as  though  he  had  already  talked 
with  me. 

Cardinal  de’  Medici  was  very  angry.  However,  I went 
the  following  night,  without  Cornaro’s  knowledge,  and  under 
good  escort,  to  pay  him  m}^  respects.  Then  I begged  him 
to  grant  me  the  favour  of  leaving  me  where  I was,  and  told 
him  of  the  great  courtesy  which  Cornaro  had  shown  me  ; 
adding  that  if  his  most  reverend  lordship  suffered  me  to 
stay,  I should  gain  one  friend  the  more  in  my  hour  of 
need  ; otherwise  his  lordship  might  dispose  of  me  exactly 
as  he  thought  best.  He  told  me  to  do  as  I liked  ; so  I re- 
turned to  Cornaro’s  palace,  and  a few  days  afterwards  the 
Cardinal  Farnese  was  elected  Pope.^ 

After  he  had  put  affairs  of  greater  consequence  in  order, 
the  new  Pope  sent  for  me,  saying  that  he  did  not  wish  any 
one  else  to  strike  his  coins.  To  these  words  of  his  Holi- 
ness a gentleman  very  privately  acquainted  with  him,  named 
Messer  Latino  Juvinale,  made  answer  that  I was  in  hiding 
for  a murder  committed  on  the  person  of  one  Pompeo  of 
Milan,  and  set  forth  what  could  be  argued  for  my  justi- 
fication in  the  most  favourable  terms.^  The  Pope  replied  : 
“ I knew  nothing  of  Pompeo’s  death,  but  plenty  of  Ben- 
venuto’s provocation ; so  let  a safe-conduct  be  at  once 
made  out  for  him,  in  order  that  he  may  be  placed  in  per- 
fect security.”  A great  friend  of  Pompeo’s,  who  was  also 
intimate  with  the  Pope,  happened  to  be  there  ; he  was  a 
Milanese,  called  Messer  Ambrogio.^  This  man  said : “ In 
the  first  days  of  your  papacy  it  were  not  well  to  grant 
pardons  of  this  kind.”  The  Pope  turned  to  him  and 
answered:  “You  know  less  about  such  matters  than  I do. 
Know  then  that  men  like  Benvenuto,  unique  in  their  pro- 
fession, stand  above  the  law  ; and  how  far  more  he,  then. 


1 Paul  III.,  elected  October  13,  1534. 

2 Latino  Giovenale  de’  Manetti  was  a Latin  poet  and  a man  of  humane 
learning,  much  esteemed  by  his  contemporaries. 

3 Ambrogio  Recalcati.  He  was  for  many  years  the  trusted  secretary  and 
diplomatic  agent  of  Paul  III. 


BOOK  FIRST 


145 


who  received  the  provocation  I have  heard  of?^^  When 
my  safe-conduct  had  been  drawn  out,  I began  at  once  to 
serve  him,  and  was  treated  with  the  utmost  favour. 


LXXV 

Messer  Latino  Juvinale  came  to  call  on  me,  and  gave  me 
orders  to  strike  the  coins  of  the  Pope.  This  roused  up  all 
my  enemies,  who  began  to  look  about  how  they  should 
hinder  me ; but  the  Pope,  perceiving  their  drift,  scolded 
them,  and  insisted  that  I should  go  on  working.  I took 
the  dies  in  hand,  designing  a S.  Paul,  surrounded  with  this 
inscription : Vas  electionis.  This  piece  of  money  gave  far 
more  satisfaction  than  the  models  of  my  competitors  ; so 
that  the  Pope  forbade  any  one  else  to  speak  to  him  of  coins, 
since  he  wished  me  only  to  have  to  do  with  them.  This 
encouraged  me  to  apply  myself  with  untroubled  spirit  to 
the  task ; and  Messer  Latino  Juvinale,  who  had  received 
such  orders  from  the  Pope,  used  to  introduce  me  to  his 
Holiness.  I had  it  much  at  heart  to  recover  the  post  of 
stamper  to  the  Mint ; but  on  this  point  the  Pope  took 
advice,  and  then  told  me  I must  first  obtain  pardon  for  the 
homicide,  and  this  I should  get  at  the  holy  Maries’  day  in 
August  through  the  Caporioni  of  Rome.^  I may  say  that 
it  is  usual  every  year  on  this  solemn  festival  to  grant  the 
freedom  of  twelve  outlaws  to  these  officers.  Meanwhile  he 
promised  to  give  me  another  safe-conduct,  which  should 
keep  me  in  security  until  that  time. 

When  my  enemies  perceived  that  they  were  quite  unable 
to  devise  the  means  of  keeping  me  out  of  the  Mint,  they 
resorted  to  another  expedient.  The  deceased  Pompeo  had 
left  three  thousand  ducats  as  dowry  to  an  illegitimate 
daughter  of  his  ; and  they  contrived  that  a certain  favourite 
of  Signor  Pier  Luigi,  the  Pope’s  son,  should  ask  her  hand 
in  marriage  through  the  medium  of  his  master.^  Accord- 

^ Le  sante  Marie.  So  the  Feast  of  the  Assumption  is  called  at  Florence, 
because  devotion  is  paid  on  that  day  to  the  various  images  of  the  Virgin 
scattered  through  the  town.  The  Caporioni  of  Rome  were,  like  aldermen, 
wardens  of  the  districts  into  which  the  city  was  divided. 

^ Pier  Luigi  Farnese,  Paul  III.’s  bastard,  was  successively  created  Gon- 
faloniere  of  the  Church,  Duke  of  Castro,  Marquis  of  Novara,  and  finally 

K 


146 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


ingly  the  match  came  off  ; but  this  fellow  was  an  insig- 
nificant country  lad,  who  had  been  brought  up  by  his  lori 
ship  ; and,  as  folk  said,  he  got  but  little  of  the  money,  since 
his  lordship  laid  his  hands  on  it  and  had  the  mind  to  use 
it.  Now  the  husband  of  the  girl,  to  please  his  wife,  begged 
the  prince  to  have  me  taken  up ; and  he  promised  to  do  so 
when  the  first  flush  of  my  favour  with  the  Pope  had  passed 
away.  Things  stood  so  about  two  months,  the  servant 
always  suing  for  his  wife’s  dower,  the  master  putting  him 
off  with  pretexts,  but  assuring  the  woman  that  he  would 
certainly  revenge  her  father’s  murder.  I obtained  an  inkling 
of  these  designs ; yet  I did  not  omit  to  present  myself 
pretty  frequently  to  his  lordship,  who  made  show  of  treat- 
ing me  with  great  distinction.  He  had,  however,  decided 
to  do  one  or  other  of  two  things — either  to  have  me  assassi- 
nated, or  to  have  me  taken  up  by  the  Bargello.  Accordingly 
he  commissioned  a certain  little  devil  of  a Corsican  soldier 
in  his  service  to  do  the  trick  as  cleverly  as  he  could  ; ^ and 
my  other  enemies,  with  Messer  Traiano  at  the  head  of  them, 
promised  the  fellow  a reward  of  one  hundred  crowns.  He 
assured  them  that  the  job  would  be  as  easy  as  sucking  a 
fresh  egg.  Seeing  into  their  plot,  I went  about  with  my 
eyes  open  and  with  good  attendance,  wearing  an  under-coat 
and  armlets  of  mail,  for  which  I had  obtained  permission. 

The  Corsican,  influenced  by  avarice,  hoped  to  gain  the 
whole  sum  of  money  without  risk,  and  imagined  himself 
capable  of  carrying  the  matter  through  alone.  Consequently, 
one  day  after  dinner,  he  had  me  sent  for  in  the  name  of 
Signor  Pier  Luigi.  I went  off  at  once,  because  his  lordship 
had  spoken  of  wanting  to  order  several  big  silver  vases. 
Leaving  my  home  in  a hurry,  armed  however  as  usual, 
I walked  rapidly  through  Strada  Giulia  toward  the  Palazzo 
Farnese,  not  expecting  to  meet  anybody  at  that  hour  of 
day.  I had  reached  the  end  of  the  street  and  was  making 
toward  the  palace,  when,  my  habit  being  always  to  turn  the 
corners  wide,  I observed  the  Corsican  get  up  and  take  his 
station  in  the  middle  of  the  road.  Being  prepared,  I was 
not  in  the  least  disconcerted ; but  kept  upon  my  guard, 

Duke  of  Parma  and  Piacenza  in  1 545.  He  was  murdered  at  Parma  by  his 
own  courtiers  in  1547.  He  was  a man  of  infamous  habits,  quite  unfit  for  the 
high  dignities  conferred  on  him. 

^ Che  la  facessi  pin  neita  che  poteva. 


BOOK  FIRST 


147 


and  slackening  pace  a little,  drew  nearer  toward  the  wall, 
in  order  to  give  the  fellow  a wide  berth.  He  on  his  side 
came  closer  to  the  wall,  and  when  we  were  now  within  a 
short  distance  of  each  other,  I perceived  by  his  gestures 
that  he  had  it  in  his  mind  to  do  me  a mischief,  and  seeing 
me  alone  thus,  thought  he  should  succeed.  Accordingly, 
I began  to  speak  and  said  : “ Brave  soldier,  if  it  had  been 
night,  you  might  have  said  you  had  mistaken  me,  but  since 
it  is  full  day,  you  know  well  enough  who  I am.  I never  had 
anything  to  do  with  you,  and  never  injured  you,  but  should 
be  well  disposed  to  do  you  service.”  He  replied  in  a high- 
spirited  way,  without,  however,  making  room  for  me  to  pass, 
that  he  did  not  know  what  I was  saying.  Then  I answered : 
“ I know  very  well  indeed  what  you  want,  and  what  you  are 
saying  ; but  the  job  which  you  have  taken  in  hand  is  more 
dangerous  and  difficult  than  you  imagine,  and  may  peradven- 
ture  turn  out  the  wrong  way  for  you.  Remember  that  you 
have  to  do  with  a man  who  would  defend  himself  against 
a hundred  ; and  the  adventure  you  are  on  is  not  esteemed 
by  men  of  courage  like  yourself.”  Meanwhile  I also  was 
looking  black  as  thunder,  and  each  of  us  had  changed  colour. 
Folk  too  gathered  round  us,  for  it  had  become  clear  that 
our  words  meant  swords  and  daggers.  He  then,  not  having 
the  spirit  to  lay  hands  on  me,  cried  out : “ We  shall  meet 
another  time.”  I answered  : “ I am  always  glad  to  meet 
honest  men  and  those  who  show  themselves  as  such.” 

When  we  parted,  I went  to  his  lordship’s  palace,  and  found 
he  had  not  sent  for  me.  When  I returned  to  my  shop,  the 
Corsican  informed  me,  through  an  intimate  friend  of  his  and 
mine,  that  I need  not  be  on  my  guard  against  him,  since 
he  wished  to  be  my  good  brother ; but  that  I ought  to  be 
much  upon  my  guard  against  others,  seeing  I was  in  the 
greatest  peril,  for  folk  of  much  consequence  had  sworn  to 
have  my  life.  I sent  to  thank  him,  and  kept  the  best  look- 
out I could.  Not  many  days  after,  a friend  of  mine  informed 
me  that  Signor  Pier  Luigi  had  given  strict  orders  that  I should 
be  taken  that  very  evening.  They  told  me  this  at  twenty ; 
whereupon  I spoke  with  some  of  my  friends,  who  advised  me 
to  be  off  at  once.  The  order  had  been  given  for  one  hour 
after  sunset ; accordingly  at  twenty-three  I left  in  the  post 
for  Florence.  It  seems  that  when  the  Corsican  showed  that 
he  had  not  pluck  enough  to  do  the  business  as  he  promised. 


148 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


Signor  Pier  Luigi  on  his  own  authority  gave  orders  to  have 
me  taken,  merely  to  stop  the  mouth  of  Pompeo's  daughter, 
who  was  always  clamouring  to  know  where  her  dower  had 
gone  to.  When  he  was  unable  to  gratify  her  in  this  matter 
of  revenge  on  either  of  the  two  plans  he  had  formed,  he 
bethought  him  of  another,  which  shall  be  related  in  its 
proper  place. 


LXXVI 

I reached  Florence  in  due  course,  and  paid  my  respects 
to  the  Duke  Alessandro,  who  greeted  me  with  extraordinary 
kindness  and  pressed  me  to  remain  in  his  service.  There 
was  then  at  Florence  a sculptor  called  II  Tribolino,  and  we 
were  gossips,  for  I had  stood  godfather  to  his  son.^  In 
course  of  conversation  he  told  me  that  a certain  Giacopo 
del  Sansovino,  his  first  master,  had  sent  for  him ; and 
whereas  he  had  never  seen  Venice,  and  because  of  the 
gains  he  expected,  he  was  very  glad  to  go  there.”  On  his 
asking  me  if  I had  ever  been  at  Venice,  I said  no  ; this 
made  him  invite  me  to  accompany  him,  and  I agreed.  So 
then  I told  Duke  Alessandro  that  I wanted  first  to  go  to 
Venice,  and  that  afterwards  I would  return  to  serve  him. 
He  exacted  a formal  promise  to  this  effect,  and  bade  me 
present  myself  before  I left  the  city.  Next  day,  having 
made  my  preparations,  I went  to  take  leave  of  the  Duke, 
whom  I found  in  the  palace  of  the  Pazzi,  at  that  time  in- 
habited by  the  wife  and  daughters  of  Signor  Lorenzo  Cibo.^ 
Having  sent  word  to  his  Excellency  that  I wished  to  set  off 
for  Venice  with  his  good  leave,  Signor  Cosimino  de’  Medici, 
now  Duke  of  Florence,  returned  with  the  answer  that  I 
must  go  to  Niccold  da  Monte  Aguto,  who  would  give  me 


^ Niccolo  de’  Pericoli,  a Florentine,  who  got  the  nickname  of  Tribolo  in  his 
boyhood,  was  a sculptor  of  some  distinction.  He  worked  on  the  bas-reliefs  of 
San  Peti’onio  at  Bologna,  and  helped  Michel  Agnolo  da  Siena  to  execute  the 
tomb  of  Adrian  VI.  at  Rome.  Afterwards  he  was  employed  upon  the  sculp- 
ture of  the  Santa  Casa  at  Loreto.  He  also  made  some  excellent  bronze-work 
for  the  Medicean  villas  at  Cestello  and  Petraja.  All  through  his  life  Tribolo 
served  the  Medici,  and  during  the  siege  of  Florence  in  1530  he  constructed  a 
cork  model  of  the  town  for  Clement  VH.  Born  1485,  died  1550- 

^ This  is  the  famous  Giacopo  Tatti,  who  took  his  artist’s  surname  from  his 
master,  Andrea  da  Monte  a Sansovino.  His  works  at  Florence,  Rome,  and 
Venice  are  justly  famous.  He  died  in  1570,  aged  ninety-three. 

^ A brother  of  the  Cardinal,  and  himself  Marquis  of  Massa. 


BOOK  FIRST 


149 


fifty  golden  crowns,  which  his  Excellency  bestowed  on  me 
in  sign  of  his  good-will,  and  afterwards  I must  return  to 
serve  him. 

I got  the  money  from  Niccolb,  and  then  went  to  fetch 
Tribolo,  whom  I found  ready  to  start ; and  he  asked  me 
whether  I had  bound  my  sword.  I answered  that  a man 
on  horseback  about  to  take  a journey  ought  not  to  bind  his 
sword.  He  said  that  the  custom  was  so  in  Florence,  since 
a certain  Ser  Maurizio  then  held  office,  who  was  capable  of 
putting  S.  John  the  Baptist  to  the  rack  for  any  trifling 
peccadillo.^  Accordingly  one  had  to  carry  one^s  sword 
bound  till  the  gates  were  passed.  I laughed  at  this,  and 
so  we  set  off,  joining  the  courier  to  Venice,  who  was  nick- 
named II  Lamentone.  In  his  company  we  travelled  through 
Bologna,  and  arrived  one  evening  at  Ferrara.  There  we 
halted  at  the  inn  of  the  Piazza,  while  Lamentone  went  in 
search  of  some  Florentine  exiles,  to  take  them  letters  and 
messages  from  their  wives.  The  Duke  had  given  orders 
that  only  the  courier  might  talk  to  them,  and  no  one  else, 
under  penalty  of  incurring  the  same  banishment  as  they  had. 
Meanwhile,  since  it  was  a little  past  the  hour  of  twenty-two, 
Tribolo  and  I went  to  see  the  Duke  of  Ferrara  come  back 
from  Belfiore,  where  he  had  been  at  a jousting  match. 
There  we  met  a number  of  exiles,  who  stared  at  us  as 
though  they  wished  to  make  us  speak  with  them.  Tribolo, 
who  was  the  most  timorous  man  that  I have  ever  known, 
kept  on  saying : “ Do  not  look  at  them  or  talk  to  them,  if 
you  care  to  go  back  to  Florence.'^  So  we  stayed,  and  saw 
the  Duke  return  ; afterwards,  when  we  regained  our  inn, 
we  found  Lamentone  there.  After  nightfall  there  appeared 
Niccolo  Benintendi,  and  his  brother  Piero,  and  another  old 
man,  whom  I believe  to  have  been  Jacopo  Nardi,^  together 
with  some  young  fellows,  who  began  immediately  to  ask  the 
courier  neWs,  each  man  of  his  own  family  in  Florence.^ 
Tribolo  and  I kept  at  a distance,  in  order  to  avoid  speaking 
with  them.  After  they  had  talked  a while  with  Lamentone, 

^ Ser  Maurizio  was  entitled  Chancellor,  but  really  superintended  the  criminal 
magistracy  of  Florence.  Varchi  and  Segni  both  speak  of  him  as  harsh  and 
cruel  in  the  discharge  of  his  office. 

^ Jacopo  Nardi  was  the  excellent  historian  of  Florence,  a strong  anti- 
Medicean  partisan,  who  was  exiled  in  1530. 

^ I have  translated  the  word  brigata  by  family  above,  because  I find  Cellini 
in  one  of  his  letters  alluding  to  his  family  as  h.  mia  brigatina. 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


150 

Niccolo  Benintendi  ^ said  : “ I know  those  two  men  there 
very  well  ; what’s  the  reason  they  give  themselves  such 
beastly  airs,  and  will  not  talk  to  us?”  Tribolo  kept  begging 
me  to  hold  my  tongue,  while  Lamentone  told  them  that  we 
had  not  the  same  permission  as  he  had.  Benintendi  retorted 
it  was  idiotic  nonsense,  adding  “ Pox  take  them,”  and  other 
pretty  flowers  of  speech.  Then  I raised  my  head  as  gently 
as  I could,  and  said : “ Dear  gentlemen,  you  are  able  to  do  us 
serious  injury,  while  we  cannot  render  you  any  assistance ; 
and  though  you  have  flung  words  at  us  which  we  are  far  from 
deserving,  we  do  not  mean  on  that  account  to  get  into  a rage 
with  you.”  Thereupon  old  Nardi  said  that  I had  spoken 
like  a worthy  young  man  as  I was.  But  Niccolb  Benintendi 
shouted : “ I snap  my  fingers  at  them  and  the  Duke.”  ^ I 
replied  that  he  was  in  the  wrong  toward  us,  since  we  had 
nothing  to  do  with  him  or  his  affairs.  Old  Nardi  took  our 
part,  telling  Benintendi  plainly  that  he  was  in  the  wrong, 
which  made  him  go  on  muttering  insults.  On  this  I bade 
him  know  that  I could  say  and  do  things  to  him  which  he 
would  not  like,  and  therefore  he  had  better  mind  his  business, 
and  let  us  alone.  Once  more  he  cried  out  that  he  snapped 
his  fingers  at  the  Duke  and  us,  and  that  we  were  all  of  us  a 
heap  of  donkeys.*  I replied  by  giving  him  the  lie  direct  and 
drawing  my  sword.  The  old  man  wanting  to  be  first  upon 
the  staircase,  tumbled  down  some  steps,  and  all  the  rest  of 
them  came  huddling  after  him.  I rushed  onward,  brandishing 
my  sword  along  the  walls  with  fury,  and  shouting  : “ I will  kill 
you  all ! ” but  I took  good  care  not  to  do  them  any  harm,  as  I 
might  too  easily  have  done.  In  the  midst  of  this  tumult  the 
innkeeper  screamed  out;  Lamentone  cried,  “ For  God’s  sake, 
hold ! ” some  of  them  exclaimed,  “ Oh  me,  my  head  ! ” others, 
“ Let  me  get  out  from  here.”  In  short,  it  was  an  indescribable 
confusion  ; they  looked  like  a herd  of  swine.  Then  the  host 
came  with  a light,  while  I withdrew  upstairs  and  put  my  sword 
back  in  its  scabbard.  Lamentone  told  Niccolb  Benintendi 
that  he  had  behaved  very  ill.  The  host  said  to  him : “ It  is  as 
much  as  one’s  life  is  worth  to  draw  swords  here ; and  if  the 
Duke  were  to  know  of  your  brawling,  he  would  have  you 

^ Niccolo  Benintendi,  who  had  been  a member  of  the  Eight  in  1529,  was 
exiled  by  the  Medici  in  1530. 

^ The  Florentine  slang  is  lo  ho  in  culo  loro  e il  duca. 

* Un  monte  di  asini. 


BOOK  FIRST 


151 

hanged.  I will  not  do  to  you  what  you  deserve ; but  take 
care  you  never  show  yourself  again  in  my  inn,  or  it  will  be 
the  worse  for  you.’’  Our  host  then  came  up  to  me,  and  when 
I began  to  make  him  my  excuses,  he  would  not  suffer  me  to 
say  a word,  but  told  me  that  he  knew  I was  entirely  in  the 
right,  and  bade  me  be  upon  my  guard  against  those  men  upon 
my  journey. 


LXXVII 

x\fter  we  had  supped,  a barge-man  appeared,  and  offered 
to  take  us  to  Venice.  I asked  if  he  would  let  us  have  the 
boat  to  ourselves ; he  was  willing,  and  so  we  made  our 
bargain.  In  the  morning  we  rose  early,  and  mounted  our 
horses  for  the  port,  which  is  a few  miles  distant  from  Ferrara. 
On  arriving  there,  we  found  Niccolo  Benintendi’s  brother, 
with  three  comrades,  waiting  for  me.  They  had  among 
them  two  lances,  and  I had  bought  a stout  pike  in  Ferrara. 
Being  very  well  armed  to  boot,  I was  not  at  all  frightened, 
as  Tribolo  was,  who  cried:  “God  help  us!  those  fellows  are 
waiting  here  to  murder  us.”  Lamentone  turned  to  me  and 
said : “The  best  that  you  can  do  is  to  go  back  to  Ferrara,  for 
I see  that  the  affair  is  likely  to  be  ugly;  for  Heaven’s  sake, 
Benvenuto,  do  not  risk  the  fury  of  these  mad  beasts.”  To 
which  I replied : “ Let  us  go  forward,  for  God  helps  those 
who  have  the  right  on  their  side ; and  you  shall  see  how  I 
will  help  myself.  Is  not  this  boat  emgaged  for  us ? ” “Yes,” 
said  Lamentone.  “Then  we  will  stay  in  it  without  them, 
unless  my  manhood  has  deserted  me.”  I put  spurs  to  my 
horse,  and  when  I was  within  fifty  paces,  dismounted  and 
marched  boldly  forward  with  my  pike.  Tribolo  stopped 
behind,  all  huddled  up  upon  his  horse,  looking  the  very 
image  of  frost.  Lamentone,  the  courier,  meanwhile,  was 
swelling  and  snorting  like  the  wind.  That  was  his  usual 
habit ; but  now  he  did  so  more  than  he  was  wont,  being  in 
doubt  how  this  devilish  affair  would  terminate.  When  I 
reached  the  boat,  the  master  presented  himself  and  said  that 
those  Florentine  gentlemen  wanted  to  embark  in  it  with  us, 
if  I was  willing.  I answered:  “The  boat  is  engaged  for  us 
and  no  one  else,  and  it  grieves  me  to  the  heart  that  I am  not 
able  to  have  their  company.”  At  these  words  a brave  young 
man  of  the  Magalotti  family  spoke  out : “ Benvenuto,  we  will 


IS2  LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 

make  you  able  to  have  it.”  To  which  I answered : “ If  God 
and  my  good  cause,  together  with  my  own  strength  of  body 
and  mind,  possess  the  will  and  the  power,  you  shall  not  make 
me  able  to  have  what  you  say.”  So  saying  I leapt  into  the 
boat,  and  turning  my  pike’s  point  against  them,  added : “ Fll 
show  you  with  this  weapon  that  I am  not  able.”  Wishing  to 
prove  he  was  in  earnest,  Magalotti  then  seized  his  own  and 
came  toward  me.  I sprang  upon  the  gunwale  and  hit  him 
such  a blow,  that,  if  he  had  not  tumbled  backward,  I must 
have  pierced  his  body.  His  comrades,  in  lieu  of  helping  him, 
turned  to  fly ; and  when  I saw  that  I could  kill  him,  instead 
of  striking,  I said  : “ Get  up,  brother ; take  your  arms  and  go 
away.  I have  shown  you  that  I cannot  do  what  I do  not 
want,  and  what  I had  the  power  to  do  I have  not  chosen  to 
do.”  Then  I called  for  Tribolo,  the  boatman,  and  Lamentone 
to  embark  ; and  so  we  got  under  way  for  Venice.  When  we 
had  gone  ten  miles  on  the  Po,  we  sighted  those  young 
men,  who  had  got  into  a skiff  and  caught  us  up ; and  when 
they  were  alongside,  that  idiot  Piero  Benintendi  sang  out 
to  me : “ Go  thy  ways  this  time,  Benvenuto ; we  shall  meet 
in  Venice.”  “Set  out  betimes  then,”  I shouted,  “for  I am 
coming,  and  any  man  can  meet  me  where  he  lists.”  In  due 
course  we  arrived  at  Venice,  when  I applied  to  a brother  of 
Cardinal  Cornaro,  begging  him  to  procure  for  me  the  favour 
of  being  allowed  to  carry  arms.  He  advised  me  to  do  so 
without  hesitation,  saying  that  the  worst  risk  I ran  was  that  I 
might  lose  my  sword. 


LXXVIII 

Accordingly  I girded  on  my  sword,  and  went  to  visit 
Jacopo  del  Sansovino,  the  sculptor,  who  had  sent  for  Tribolo. 
He  received  me  most  kindly,  and  invited  us  to  dinner, 
and  we  stayed  with  him.  In  course  of  conversation  with 
Tribolo,  he  told  him  that  he  had  no  work  to  give  him 
at  the  moment,  but  that  he  might  call  again.  Hearing 
this,  I burst  out  laughing,  and  said  pleasantly  to  Sanso- 
vino : “ Your  house  is  too  far  off  from  his,  if  he  must  call 
again.  ” Poor  Tribolo,  all  in  dismay,  exclaimed  ; “ I have 
got  your  letter  here,  which  you  wrote  to  bid  me  come.” 
Sansovino  rejoined  that  men  of  his  sort,  men  of  worth 
and  genius,  were  free  to  do  that  and  greater  things  besides. 


BOOK  FIRST 


153 


Tribolo  shrugged  up  his  shoulders  and  muttered  : “ Patience, 
patience,  several  times.  Thereupon,  without  regarding  the 
copious  dinner  which  Sansovino  had  given  me,  I took  the 
part  of  my  comrade  Tribolo,  for  he  was  in  the  right.  All 
the  while  at  table  Sansovino  had  never  stopped  chatter- 
ing about  his  great  achievements,  abusing  Michel  Agnolo 
and  the  rest  of  his  fellow-sculptors,  while  he  bragged  and 
vaunted  himself  to  the  skies.  This  had  so  annoyed  me 
that  not  a single  mouthful  which  I ate  had  tasted  well ; but  I 
refrained  from  saying  more  than  these  two  words  : “ Messer 
Jacopo,  men  of  worth  act  like  men  of  worth,  and  men  of 
genius,  who  produce  things  beautiful  and  excellent,  shine 
forth  far  better  when  other  people  praise  them  than  when 
they  boast  so  confidently  of  their  own  achievements.”  Upon 
this  he  and  I rose  from  table  blowing  off  the  steam  of  our 
choler.  The  same  day,  happening  to  pass  near  the  Rialto,  I 
met  Piero  Benintendi  in  the  company  of  some  men  ; and 
perceiving  that  they  were  going  to  pick  a quarrel  with  me,  I 
turned  into  an  apothecary’s  shop  till  the  storm  blew  over. 
Afterwards  I learned  that  the  young  Magalotti,  to  whom  I 
showed  that  courtesy,  had  scolded  them  roundly  ; and  thus 
the  affair  ended. 

LXXIX 

A few  days  afterwards  we  set  out  on  our  return  to  Flor- 
ence. We  lay  one  night  at  a place  on  this  side  Chioggia, 
on  the  left  hand  as  you  go  toward  Ferrara.  Here  the  host 
insisted  upon  being  paid  before  we  went  to  bed,  and  in 
his  own  way  ; and  when  I observed  that  it  was  the  custom 
everywhere  else  to  pay  in  the  morning,  he  answered:  “I 
insist  on  being  paid  overnight,  and  in  my  own  way.”  I re- 
torted that  men  who  wanted  everything  their  own  way  ought 
to  make  a world  after  their  own  fashion,  since  things  were 
differently  managed  here.  Our  host  told  me  not  to  go  on 
bothering  his  brains,  because  he  was  determined  to  do  as  he 
had  said.  Tribolo  stood  trembling  with  fear,  and  nudged  me 
to  keep  quiet,  lest . they  should  do  something  worse  to  us  ; 
so  we  paid  them  in  the  way  they  wanted,  and  afterwards  we 
retired  to  rest.  We  had,  I must  admit,  the  most  capital  beds, 
new  in  every  particular,  and  as  clean  as  they  could  be.  Never- 
theless I did  not  get  one  wink  of  sleep,  because  I kept  on 


154 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


thinking  how  I could  revenge  myself.  At  one  time  it  came 
into  my  head  to  set  fire  to  his  house  ; at  another  to  cut  the 
throats  of  four  fine  horses  which  he  had  in  the  stable  ; I saw 
well  enough  that  it  was  easy  for  me  to  do  all  this  ; but  I 
could  not  see  how  it  was  easy  to  secure  myself  and  my  com- 
panion. At  last  I resolved  to  put  my  things  and  my  comrade’s 
on  board  the  boat ; and  so  I did.  When  the  towing-horses 
had  been  harnessed  to  the  cable,  I ordered  the  people  not 
to  stir  before  I returned,  for  I had  left  a pair  of  slippers 
in  my  bedroom.  Accordingly  I went  back  to  the  inn  and 
called  our  host,  who  told  me  he  had  nothing  to  do  with  us, 
and  that  we  might  go  to  Jericho.^  There  was  a ragged  stable- 
boy  about,  half  asleep,  who  cried  out  to  me  : “ The  master 
would  not  move  to  please  the  Pope,  because  he  has  got  a 
wench  in  bed  with  him,  whom  he  has  been  wanting  this  long 
while.”  Then  he  asked  me  for  a tip,  and  I gave  him  a few 
Venetian  coppers,  and  told  him  to  make  the  barge-man  wait 
till  I had  found  m^^  slippers  and  returned.  I went  upstairs, 
took  out  a little  knife  as  sharp  as  a razor,  and  cut  the  four  beds 
that  I found  there  into  ribbons.  I had  the  satisfaction  of  know- 
ing I had  done  a damage  of  more  than  fifty  crowns.  Then 
I ran  down  to  the  boat  with  some  pieces  of  the  bed-covers  ^ 
in  my  pouch,  and  bade  the  bargee  start  at  once  without  delay. 
We  had  not  gone  far  before  my  gossip  Tribolo  said  that  he 
had  left  behind  some  little  straps  belonging  to  his  carpet-bag, 
and  that  he  must  be  allowed  to  go  back  for  them.  I answered 
that  he  need  not  take  thought  for  a pair  of  little  straps,  since 
I could  make  him  as  many  big  ones  as  he  liked.^  He  told  me 
I was  always  joking,  but  that  he  must  really  go  back  for  his 
straps.  Then  he  began  ordering  the  bargee  to  stop,  while  I 
kept  ordering  him  to  go  on.  Meanwhile  I informed  my  friend 
what  kind  of  trick  I had  played  our  host,  and  showed  him 
specimens  of  the  bed-covers  and  other  things,  which  threw 
him  into  such  a quaking  fright  that  he  roared  out  to  the 
bargee:  “On  with  you,  on  with  you,  as  quick  as  you  can  !” 
and  never  thought  himself  quite  safe  until  we  reached  the 
gates  of  Florence. 

When  we  arrived  there,  Tribolo  said  : “ Let  us  bind  our 

1 E che  noi  andassimo  al  bordello. 

2 Sarge.  Sargia  is  interpreted  sopraccopej'ta  del  letto. 

^ The  Italian  for  straps,  coregge,  has  a double  meaning,  upon  which  Cellini 
plays. 


BOOK  FIRST 


155 


swords  up,  for  the  love  of  God  ; and  play  me  no  more  of  your 
games,  I beg  ; for  all  this  while  IVe  felt  as  though  my  guts 
were  in  the  saucepan.’^  I made  answer:  “Gossip  Tribolo, 
you  need  not  tie  your  sword  up,  for  you  have  never  loosed  it ; 
and  this  I said  at  random,  because  I never  once  had  seen  him 
act  the  man  upon  that  journey.  When  he  heard  the  remark, 
he  looked  at  his  sword  and  cried  out : “ In  God’s  name,  you 
speak  true  ! Here  it  is  tied,  just  as  I arranged  it  before  I left 
my  house.”  My  gossip  deemed  that  I had  been  a bad  travelling 
companion  to  him,  because  I resented  affronts  and  defended 
myself  against  folk  who  would  have  done  us  injury.  But 
I deemed  that  he  had  acted  a far  worse  part  with  regard 
to  me  by  never  coming  to  my  assistance  at  such  pinches. 
Let  him  judge  between  us  who  stands  by  and  has  no  personal 
interest  in  our  adventures. 


LXXX 

No  sooner  had  I dismounted  than  I went  to  visit  Duke 
Alessandro,  and  thanked  him  greatly  for  his  present  of  the 
fifty  crowns,  telling  his  Excellency  that  I was  always  ready 
to  serve  him  according  to  my  abilities.  He  gave  me  orders  at 
once  to  strike  dies  for  his  coinage  ; and  the  first  I made  was  a 
piece  of  forty  soldi,  with  the  Duke’s  head  on  one  side  and  San 
Cosimo  and  San  Damiano  on  the  other.i  This  was  in  silver, 
and  it  gave  so  much  satisfaction  that  the  Duke  did  not  hesitate 
to  say  they  were  the  best  pieces  of  money  in  Christendom. 
The  same  said  all  Florence  and  every  one  who  saw  them. 
Consequently  I asked  his  Excellency  to  make  me  appoint- 
ments,2  and  to  grant  me  the  lodgings  of  the  Mint.  He  bade 
me  remain  in  his  service,  and  promised  he  would  give  me  more 
than  I demanded.  Meanwhile  he  said  he  had  commissioned 
the  Master  of  the  Mint,  a certain  Carlo  Acciaiuoli,  and  that  I 
might  go  to  him  for  all  the  money  that  I wanted.  This  I found 
to  be  true ; but  I drew  my  monies  so  discreetly,  that  I had 
always  something  to  my  credit,  according  to  my  account. 

I then  made  dies  for  a giulio,^  it  had  San  Giovanni  in 

^ These  were  the  special  patrons  of  the  Medicean  family,  being  physician- 
saints. 

^ Che  mi  fermassi  una  provvisione. 

^ The  giulio  was  a coin  of  56  Italian  centimes  or  8 Tuscan  craziey  which  in 
Florence  was  also  called  barile  or  gabellotto^  because  the  sum  had  to  be  paid 
as  duty  on  a barrel  of  wine. 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


156 

profile,  seated  with  a book  in  his  hand,  finer  in  my  judgment 
than  anything  which  I had  done  ; and  on  the  other  side  were 
the  armorial  bearings  of  Duke  Alessandro.  Next  I made 
dies  for  half-giulios,  on  which  I struck  the  full  face  of  San 
Giovanni  in  small.  This  was  the  first  coin  with  a head  in 
full  face  on  so  thin  a piece  of  silver  that  had  yet  been  seen. 
The  difficulty  of  executing  it  is  apparent  only  to  the  eyes  of 
such  as  are  past- masters  in  these  crafts.  Afterwards  I made 
dies  for  the  golden  crowns  ; this  crown  had  a cross  upon  one 
side  with  some  little  cherubim,  and  on  the  other  side  his 
Excellency’s  arms. 

When  I had  struck  these  four  sorts,  I begged  the  Duke  to 
make  out  my  appointments  and  to  assign  me  the  lodgings  I 
have  mentioned,  if  he  was  contented  with  my  service.  He 
told  me  very  graciously  that  he  was  quite  satisfied,  and  that 
he  would  grant  me  my  request.  While  we  were  thus  talking, 
his  Excellency  was  in  his  wardrobe,  looking  at  a remarkable 
little  gun  that  had  been  sent  him  out  of  Germany.^  When  he 
noticed  that  I too  paid  particular  attention  to  this  pretty 
instrument,  he  put  it  in  my  hands,  saying  that  he  knew  how 
much  pleasure  I took  in  such  things,  and  adding  that  I might 
choose  for  earnest  of  his  promises  an  arquebuse  to  my  own 
liking  from  the  armoury,  excepting  only  this  one  piece  ; he 
was  well  aware  that  I should  find  things  of  greater  beauty, 
and  not  less  excellent,  there.  Upon  this  invitation,  I accepted 
with  thanks  ; and  when  he  saw  me  looking  round,  he  ordered 
his  Master  of  the  Wardrobe,  a certain  Pretino  of  Lucca,  to 
let  me  take  whatever  I liked.^  Then  he  went  away  with  the 
most  pleasant  words  at  parting,  while  I remained,  and  chose 
the  finest  and  best  arquebuse  I ever  saw,  or  ever  had,  and 
took  it  back  with  me  to  home. 

Two  days  afterward  I brought  some  drawings  which  his 
Excellency  had  commissioned  for  gold-work  he  wanted  to 
give  his  wife,  who  was  at  that  time  still  in  Naples.^  I again 
asked  him  to  settle  my  affairs.  Then  his  Excellency  told  me 
that  he  should  like  me  first  to  execute  the  die  of  his  portrait 
in  fine  style,  as  I had  done  for  Pope  Clement.  I began  it  in 
wax  ; and  the  Duke  gave  orders,  while  I was  at  work  upon  it, 

^ See  above,  p.  118,  for  the  right  meaning  of  wardrobe. 

^ Messer  Francesco  of  Lucca,  surnamed  II  Pretino. 

^ Margaret  of  Austria,  natural  daughter  to  Charles  V.,  was  eventually 
married  in  1536  to  Alessandro  de’  Medici. 


BOOK  FIRST 


157 


that  whenever  I went  to  take  his  portrait,  I should  be 
admitted.  Perceiving  that  I had  a lengthy  piece  of  business 
on  my  hands,  I sent  for  a certain  Pietro  Pagolo  from  Monte 
Ritondo,  in  the  Roman  district,  who  had  been  with  me  from 
his  boyhood  in  Rome.^  I found  him  with  one  Bernardo- 
naccio,^  a goldsmith,  who  did  not  treat  him  well  ; so  I 
brought  him  away  from  there,  and  taught  him  minutely 
how  to  strike  coins  from  those  dies.  Meanwhile,  I went  on 
making  the  Duke’s  portrait ; and  oftentimes  I found  him 
napping  after  dinner  with  that  Lorenzino  of  his,  who  after- 
wards murdered  him,  and  no  other  company  ; and  much  I 
marvelled  that  a Duke  of  that  sort  showed  such  confidence 
about  his  safety.^ 


LXXXI 

It  happened  at  this  time  that  Ottaviano  de’  Medici,^  who 
to  all  appearances  had  got  the  government  of  everything  in 
his  own  hands,  favoured  the  old  Master  of  the  Mint  against 
the  Duke’s  will.  This  man  was  called  Bastiano  Cennini,  an 
artist  of  the  antiquated  school,  and  of  little  skill  in  his  craft.® 
Ottaviano  mixed  his  stupid  dies  with  mine  in  the  coinage  of 
crown-pieces.  I complained  of  this  to  the  Duke,  who,  when 
he  saw  how  the  matter  stood,  took  it  very  ill,  and  said  to  me  : 
“Go,  tell  this  to  Ottaviano  de’  Medici,  and  show  him  how  it 
is.”  ® I lost  no  time  ; and  when  I had  pointed  out  the  injury 
that  had  been  done  to  my  fine  coins,  he  answered,  like  the 
donkey  that  he  was  : “ We  choose  to  have  it  so.”  I replied 
that  it  ought  not  to  be  so,  and  that  I did  not  choose  to  have 
it  so.  He  said  : “ And  if  the  Duke  likes  to  have  it  so  ? ” I 
answered  : “ It  would  not  suit  me,  for  the  thing  is  neither 
just  nor  reasonable.”  He  told  me  to  take  myself  off,  and 

^ Pietro  Pagolo  Galleotti,  much  praised  by  Vasari  for  his  artistic  skill. 

2 Perhaps  Bernardo  Sabatini. 

^ This  is  the  famous  Tuscan  Brutus  who  murdered  Alessandro.  Pie  was 
descended  from  Lorenzo  de’  Medici,  the  brother  of  Cosimo,  Pater  Pat7'ics,  and 
the  uncle  of  Lorenzo  the  Magnificent. 

^ This  Ottaviano  was  not  descended  from  either  Cosimo  or  Lorenzo  de’ 
Medici,  but  from  an  elder,  though  less  illustrious,  branch  of  the  great  family. 
He  married  Francesca  Salviati,  the  aunt  of  Duke  Cosimo.  Though  a great 
patron  of  the  arts  and  an  intimate  friend  of  M.  A.  Buonarroti,  he  was  not 
popular,  owing  to  his  pride  of  place. 

^ Cellini  praises  this  man,  however,  in  the  preface  to  the  Orejiceria. 

® Mostragnene.  This  is  perhaps  equivalent  to  mostraglielo. 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


iS8 

that  I should  have  to  swallow  it  in  this  way,  even  if  I burst. 
Then  I returned  to  the  Duke,  and  related  the  whole  unplea- 
sant conversation  between  Ottaviano  de’  Medici  and  me, 
entreating  his  Excellency  not  to  allow  the  fine  coins  which 
I had  made  for  him  to  be  spoiled,  and  begging  for  permis- 
sion to  leave  Florence.  He  replied  : “ Ottaviano  is  too  pre- 
suming : you  shall  have  what  you  want ; for  this  is  an  injury 
offered  to  myself.” 

That  very  day,  which  was  a Thursday,  I received  from 
Rome  a full  safe-conduct  from  the  Pope,  with  advice  to  go 
there  at  once  and  get  the  pardon  of  Our  Lady’s  feast  in  mid- 
August,  in  order  that  I might  clear  myself  from  the  penalties 
attaching  to  my  homicide.  I went  to  the  Duke,  whom  I 
found  in  bed,  for  they  told  me  he  was  suffering  the  con- 
sequence of  a debauch.  In  little  more  than  two  hours  I 
finished  what  was  wanted  for  his  waxen  medal ; and  when  I 
showed  it  him,  it  pleased  him  extremely.  Then  I exhibited 
the  safe- conduct  sent  me  at  the  order  of  the  Pope,  and  told 
him  how  his  Holiness  had  recalled  me  to  execute  certain 
pieces  of  work  ; on  this  account  I should  like  to  regain  my 
footing  in  the  fair  city  of  Rome,  which  would  not  prevent 
my  attending  to  his  medal.  The  Duke  made  answer  half 
in  anger  : “ Benvenuto,  do  as  I desire  : stay  here  ; I will 
provide  for  your  appointments,  and  will  give  you  the  lodgings 
in  the  Mint,  with  much  more  than  you  could  ask  for,  because 
your  requests  are  only  just  and  reasonable.  And  who  do  you 
think  will  be  able  to  strike  the  beautiful  dies  which  you  have 
made  for  me  ? ” Then  I said  : “ My  lord,  I have  thought  of 
everything,  for  I have  here  a pupil  of  mine,  a young  Roman 
whom  I have  taught  the  art ; he  will  serve  your  Excellency 
very  well  till  I return  with  your  medal  finished,  to  remain  for 
ever  in  your  service.  I have  in  Rome  a shop  open,  with 
journeymen  and  a pretty  business  ; as  soon  as  I have  got j my 
pardon,  I will  leave  all  the  devotion  of  Rome  ^ to  a pupil  of 
mine  there,  and  will  come  back,  with  your  Excellency’s  good 
permission,  to  you.”  During  this  conversation,  the  Lorenzino 
de’  Medici  whom  I have  above  mentioned  was  present,  and 
no  one  else.  The  Duke  frequently  signed  to  him  that  he 
should  join  in  pressing  me  to  stay  ; but  Lorenzino  never  said 

^ Tutta  la  divozione  di  Roma.  It  is  not  very  clear  vehat  this  exactly  means. 
Perhaps  “all  the  affection  and  reverence  I have  for  the  city  of  Rome,”  or 
merely  “all  my  ties  in  Rome.” 


BOOK  FIRST 


159 


anything  except : “ Benvenuto,  you  would  do  better  to  re- 
main where  you  are.’’  I answered  that  I wanted  by  all 
means  to  regain  my  hold  on  Rome.  He  made  no  reply,  but 
continued  eyeing  the  Duke  with  very  evil  glances.  When 
I had  finished  the  medal  to  my  liking,  and  shut  it  in  its  little 
box,  I said  to  the  Duke  : “ My  lord,  pray  let  me  have  your 
good-will,  for  I will  make  you  a much  finer  medal  than  the 
one  I made  for  Pope  Clement.  It  is  only  reasonable  that 
I should,  since  that  was  the  first  I ever  made.  Messer 
Lorenzo  here  will  give  me  some  exquisite  reverse,  as  he  is 
a person  learned  and  of  the  greatest  genius.”  To  these 
words  Lorenzo  suddenly  made  answer  : “ I have  been  think- 
ing of  nothing  else  but  how  to  give  you  a reverse  worthy  of 
his  Excellency.”  The  Duke  laughed  a little,  and  looking 
at  Lorenzo,  said  : “ Lorenzo,  you  shall  give  him  the  reverse, 
and  he  shall  do  it  here  and  shall  not  go  away.”  Lorenzo 
took  him  up  at  once,  saying  : “ I will  do  it  as  quickly  as  I can, 
and  I hope  to  do  something  that  shall  make  the  whole  world 
wonder.”  The  Duke,  who  held  him  sometimes  for  a fool 
and  sometimes  for  a coward,  turned  about  in  bed,  and 
laughed  at  his  bragging  words.  I took  my  leave  without 
further  ceremony,  and  left  them  alone  together.  The  Duke, 
who  did  not  believe  that  I was  really  going,  said  nothing 
further.  Afterwards,  when  he  knew  that  I was  gone,  he  sent 
one  of  his  servants,  who  caught  me  up  at  Siena,  and  gave  me 
fifty  golden  ducats  with  a message  from  the  Duke  that  I 
should  take  and  use  them  for  his  sake,  and  should  return  as 
soon  as  possible ; “ and  from  Messer  Lorenzo  I have  to  tell 
you  that  he  is  preparing  an  admirable  reverse  for  that  medal 
which  you  want  to  make.”  I had  left  full  directions  to  Petro 
Pagolo,  the  Roman  above  mentioned,  how  he  had  to  use  the 
dies  ; but  as  it  was  a very  delicate  affair,  he  never  quite 
succeeded  in  employing  them.  I remained  creditor  to  the 
Mint  in  a matter  of  more  than  seventy  crowns  on  account  of 
dies  supplied  by  me. 


LXXXII 

On  the  journey  to  Rome  I carried  with  me  that  hand- 
some arquebuse  which  the  Duke  gave  me  ; and  very  much  to 
my  own  pleasure,  I used  it  several  times  by  the  way,  per- 
forming incredible  feats  by  means  of  it.  The  little  house  I 


i6o 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


had  in  Strada  Giulia  was  not  ready  ; so  I dismounted  at  the 
house  of  Messer  Giovanni  Gaddi,  clerk  of  the  Camera,  to 
whose  keeping  I had  committed,  on  leaving  Rome,  many  of 
my  arms  and  other  things  I cared  for.  So  I did  not  choose 
to  alight  at  my  shop,  but  sent  for  Felice,  my  partner,  and 
got  him  to  put  my  little  dwelling  forthwith  into  excellent 
order.  The  day  following,  I went  to  sleep  there,  after  well 
providing  myself  with  clothes  and  all  things  requisite,  since 
I intended  to  go  and  thank  the  Pope  next  morning. 

I had  two  young  serving-lads,  and  beneath  my  lodgings 
lived  a laundress  who  cooked  extremely  nicely  for  me. 
That  evening  I entertained  several  friends  at  supper,  and 
having  passed  the  time  with  great  enjoyment,  betook  my- 
self to  bed.  The  night  had  hardly  ended,  indeed  it  was 
more  than  an  hour  before  daybreak,  when  I heard  a furious 
knocking  at  the  house-door,  stroke  succeeding  stroke  with- 
out a moment’s  pause.  Accordingly  I called  my  elder 
servant,  Cencio^  (he  was  the  man  I took  into  the  necro- 
mantic circle),  and  bade  him  go  and  see  who  the  madman 
was  that  knocked  so  brutally  at  that  hour  of  the  night. 
While  Cencio  was  on  this  errand,  I lighted  another  lamp, 
for  I always  keep  one  by  me  at  night ; then  I made  haste 
to  pass  an  excellent  coat  of  mail  over  my  shirt,  and  above 
that  some  clothes  which  I caught  up  at  random.  Cencio 
returned,  exclaiming  : “ Heavens,  master ! it  is  the  Bargello 
and  all  his  guard  ; and  he  says  that  if  you  do  not  open  at 
once,  he  will  knock  the  door  down.  They  have  torches,  and 
a thousand  things  besides  with  them  !”  I answered  : “Tell 
them  that  I am  huddling  my  clothes  on,  and  will  come  out 
to  them  in  my  shirt.”  Supposing  it  was  a trap  laid  to 
murder  me,  as  had  before  been  done  by  Signor  Pier  Luigi, 
I seized  an  excellent  dagger  with  my  right  hand,  and  with 
the  left  I took  the  safe-conduct ; then  I ran  to  the  back- 
window,  which  looked  out  on  gardens,  and  there  I saw  more 
than  thirty  constables ; wherefore  I knew  that  I could  not 
escape  upon  that  side.  I made  the  two  lads  go  in  front, 
and  told  them  to  open  the  door  exactly  when  I gave  the 
word  to  do  so.  Then  taking  up  an  attitude  of  defence,  with 
the  dagger  in  my  right  hand  and  the  safe-conduct  in  my 
left,  I cried  to  the  lads  : “ Have  no  fear,  but  open  ! ” The 

^ i.e., 


Vincenzio  Romoli. 


BOOK  FIRST 


i6i 


Bargello,  Vittorio,  and  the  officers  sprang  inside  at  once, 
thinking  they  could  easily  lay  hands  upon  me  ; but  when 
they  saw  me  prepared  in  that  way  to  receive  them,  they 
fell  back,  exclaiming  : “ We  have  a serious  job  on  hand 
here  ! ’’  Then  I threw  the  safe-conduct  to  them,  and  said  : 
“ Read  that  ! and  since  you  cannot  seize  me,  I do  not  mean 
that  you  shall  touch  me.”  The  Bargello  upon  this  ordered 
some  of  his  men  to  arrest  me,  saying  he  would  look  to  the 
safe-conduct  later.  Thereat  I presented  my  arms  boldly, 
calling  aloud  : “ Let  God  defend  the  right ! Either  I shall 
escape  your  hands  alive,  or  be  taken  a dead  corpse  ! ” The 
room  was  crammed  with  men  ; they  made  as  though  they 
would  resort  to  violence  ; I stood  upon  my  guard  against 
them  ; so  that  the  Bargello  saw  he  would  not  be  able  to 
have  me  except  in  the  way  I said.  Accordingly  he  called 
his  clerk,  and  while  the  safe-conduct  was  being  read,  he 
showed  by  signs  two  or  three  times  that  he  meant  to  have 
me  secured  by  his  officers  ; but  this  had  no  effect  of  shaking 
my  determination.  At  last  they  gave  up  the  attempt,  threw 
my  safe-conduct  on  the  ground,  and  went  away  without 
their  prize. 


LXXXIII 

When  I returned  to  bed,  I felt  so  agitated  that  I could 
not  get  to  sleep  again.  My  mind  was  made  up  to  let  blood 
as  soon  as  day  broke.  However,  I asked  advice  of  Messer 
Gaddi,  and  he  referred  to  a wretched  doctor -fellow  he 
employed,^  who  asked  me  if  I had  been  frightened.  Now, 
just  consider  what  a judicious  doctor  this  was,  after  I had 
narrated  an  occurrence  of  that  gravity,  to  ask  me  such  a 
question  ! He  was  an  empty  fribbler,  who  kept  perpetually 
laughing  about  nothing  at  all.  Simpering  and  sniggering, 
then,  he  bade  me  drink  a good  cup  of  Greek  wine,  keep 
my  spirits  up,  and  not  be  frightened.  Messer  Giovanni, 
however,  said  : “ Master,  a man  of  bronze  or  marble  might 
be  frightened  in  such  circumstances.  How  much  more  one 
of  flesh  and  blood  ! ” The  quack  responded  : “ Monsignor, 
we  are  not  all  made  after  the  same  pattern  ; this  fellow  is 
no  man  of  bronze  or  marble,  but  of  pure  iron.”  Then  he 


^ Possibly  Bernardino  Lilii  of  Todi. 


L 


i62 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


gave  one  of  his  meaningless  laughs,  and  putting  his  lingers  on 
my  wrist,  said  : “Feel  here  ; this  is  not  a man’s  pulse,  but 
a lion’s  or  a dragon’s.”  At  this,  I,  whose  blood  was  thump- 
ing in  my  veins,  probably  far  beyond  anything  which  that 
fool  of  a doctor  had  learned  from  his  Hippocrates  or  Galen, 
knew  at  once  how  serious  was  my  situation  ; yet,  wishing 
not  to  add  to  my  uneasiness  and  to  the  harm  I had  already 
taken,  I made  show  of  being  in  good  spirits.  While  this 
was  happening,  Messer  Giovanni  had  ordered  dinner,  and 
we  all  of  us  sat  down  to  eat  in  company.  I remembered 
that  Messer  Lodovico  da  Fano,  Messer  Antonio  Allegretti, 
Messer  Giovanni  Greco,  all  of  them  men  of  the  finest  scholar- 
ship, and  Messer  Annibal  Caro,  who  was  then  quite  young, 
were  present.  At  table  the  conversation  turned  entirely 
upon  my  act  of  daring.  They  insisted  on  hearing  the 
whole  story  over  and  over  again  from  my  apprentice  Cencio, 
who  was  a youth  of  superlative  talent,  bravery,  and  extreme 
personal  beauty.  Each  time  that  he  described  my  truculent 
behaviour,  throwing  himself  into  the  attitudes  I had  assumed, 
and  repeating  the  words  which  I had  used,  he  called  up  some 
fresh  detail  to  my  memory.  They  kept  asking  him  if  he 
had  been  afraid  ; to  which  he  answered  that  they  ought  to  ask 
me  if  I had  been  afraid,  because  he  felt  precisely  the  same 
as  I had. 

All  this  chattering  grew  irksome  to  me  ; and  since  I still 
felt  strongly  agitated,  I rose  at  last  from  table,  saying  that 
I wanted  to  go  and  get  new  clothes  of  blue  silk  and  stuff 
for  him  and  me  ; adding  that  I meant  to  walk  in  procession 
after  four  days  at  the  feast  of  Our  Lady,  and  meant  Cencio 
to  carry  a white  lighted  torch  on  the  occasion.  Accordingly 
I took  my  leave,  and  had  the  blue  cloth  cut,  together  with 
a handsome  jacket  of  blue  sarcenet  and  a little  doublet  of 
the  same  ; and  I had  a similar  jacket  and  waistcoat  made  for 
Cencio. 

When  these  things  had  been  cut  out,  I went  to  see  the 
Pope,  who  told  me  to  speak  with  Messer  Ambruogio  ; for 
he  had  given  orders  that  I should  execute  a large  piece  of 
golden  plate.  So  I went  to  find  Messer  Ambruogio,  who 
had  heard  the  whole  of  the  affair  of  the  Bargello,  and  had 
been  in  concert  with  my  enemies  to  bring  me  back  to  Rome, 
and  had  scolded  the  Bargello  for  not  laying  hands  on  me. 
The  man  excused  himself  by  saying  that  he  could  not  do 


BOOK  FIRST 


163 


so  in  the  face  of  the  safe-conduct  which  I held.  Messer 
Ambruogio  now  began  to  talk  about  the  Pope’s  commission, 
and  bade  me  make  drawings  for  it,  saying  that  the  business 
should  be  put  at  once  in  train.  Meanwhile  the  feast  of  Our 
Lady  came  round.  Now  it  is  the  custom  for  those  who 
get  a pardon  upon  this  occasion  to  give  themselves  up  to 
prison ; in  order  to  avoid  doing  which  I returned  to  the 
Pope,  and  told  his  Holiness  that  I was  very  unwilling  to  go 
to  prison,  and  that  I begged  him  to  grant  me  the  favour  of 
a dispensation.  The  Pope  answered  that  such  was  the 
custom,  and  that  I must  follow  it.  Thereupon  I fell  again 
upon  my  knees,  and  thanked  him  for  the  safe-conduct  he 
had  given  me,  saying  at  the  same  time  that  I should  go  back 
with  it  to  serve  my  Duke  in  Florence,  who  was  waiting  for 
me  so  impatiently.  On  hearing  this,  the  Pope  turned  to 
one  of  his  conhdential  servants  and  said  : “ Let  Benvenuto 
get  his  grace  without  the  prison,  and  see  that  his  moto 
froprio  is  made  out  in  due  form.”  As  soon  as  the  docu- 
ment had  been  drawn  up,  his  Holiness  signed  it ; it  was 
then  registered  at  the  Capitol  ; afterwards,  upon  the  day 
appointed,  I walked  in  procession  very  honourably  between 
two  gentlemen,  and  so  got  clear  at  last. 


LXXXIV 

Four  days  had  passed  when  I was  attacked  with  violent 
fever  attended  by  extreme  cold  ; and  taking  to  my  bed,  I 
made  my  mind  up  that  I was  sure  to  die.  I had  the  first 
doctors  of  Rome  called  in,  among  whom  was  Francesco  da 
Norcia,  a physician  of  great  age,  and  of  the  best  repute  in 
Rome.^  I told  them  what  I believed  to  be  the  cause  of 
my  illness,  and  said  that  I had  wished  to  let  blood,  but  that 
I had  been  advised  against  it  ; and  if  it  was  not  too  late, 
I begged  them  to  bleed  me  now.  Maestro  Francesco  an- 
swered that  it  would  not  be  well  for  me  to  let  blood  then, 
but  that  if  I had  done  so  before,  I should  have  escaped 
without  mischief ; at  present  they  would  have  to  treat  the 
case  with  other  remedies.  So  they  began  to  doctor  me  as 
energetically  as  they  were  able,  while  I grew  daily  worse 

^ Francesco  Fusconi,  physician  to  Popes  Adrian  VI.,  Clement  VII.,  and 
Paul  III. 


164 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


and  worse  so  rapidly,  that  after  eight  days  the  physicians 
despaired  of  my  life,  and  said  that  I might  be  indulged  in 
any  whim  I had  to  make  me  comfortable.  Maestro  Fran- 
cesco added  : “ As  long  as  there  is  breath  in  him,  call  me 
at  all  hours  ; for  no  one  can  divine  what  Nature  is  able  to 
work  in  a young  man  of  this  kind  ; moreover,  if  he  should 
lose  consciousness,  administer  these  five  remedies  one  after 
the  other,  and  send  for  me,  for  I will  come  at  any  hour  of 
the  night ; I would  rather  save  him  than  any  of  the  cardinals 
in  Rome.’^ 

Every  day  Messer  Giovanni  Gaddi  came  to  see  me  two 
or  three  times,  and  each  time  he  took  up  one  or  other  of 
my  handsome  fowling-pieces,  coats  of  mail,  or  swords,  using 
words  like  these  : “ That  is  a handsome  thing,  that  other 
is  still  handsomer  ; ” and  likewise  with  my  models  and  other 
trifles,  so  that  at  last  he  drove  me  wild  with  annoyance. 
In  his  company  came  a certain  Mattio  Franzesi  R and  this 
man  also  appeared  to  be  waiting  impatiently  for  my  death, 
not  indeed  because  he  would  inherit  anything  from  me,  but 
because  he  wished  for  what  his  master  seemed  to  have  so 
much  at  heart. 

Felice,  my  partner,  was  always  at  my  side,  rendering  the 
greatest  services  which  it  is  possible  for  one  man  to  give 
another.  Nature  in  me  was  utterly  debilitated  and  undone  ; 
I had  not  strength  enough  to  fetch  my  breath  back  if  it  left 
me  ; and  yet  my  brain  remained  as  clear  and  strong  as  it 
had  been  before  my  illness.  Nevertheless,  although  I kept 
my  consciousness,  a terrible  old  man  used  to  come  to  my 
bedside,  and  make  as  though  he  would  drag  me  by  force 
into  a huge  boat  he  had  with  him.  This  made  me  call  out 
to  my  Felice  to  draw  near  and  chase  that  malignant  old 
man  away.  Felice,  who  loved  me  most  affectionately,  ran 
weeping  and  crying : “ Away  with  you,  old  traitor ; you 
are  robbing  me  of  all  the  good  I have  in  this  world.’' 
Messer  Giovanni  Gaddi,  who  was  present,  then  began  to 
say : “ The  poor  fellow  is  delirious,  and  has  only  a few 
hours  to  live.”  His  fellow,  Mattio  Franzesi,  remarked  : 
“ He  has  read  Dante,  and  in  the  prostration  of  his  sickness 
this  apparition  has  appeared  to  him ; ” ^ then  he  added 

1 Franzesi  was  a clever  Italian  poet.  His  burlesque  Capitoli  are  printed 
with  those  of  Berni  and  others. 

2 Inferno,  iii.,  the  verses  about  Charon. 


BOOK  FIRST 


165 


laughingly : “ Away  with  you,  old  rascal,  and  don’t  bother 
our  friend  Benvenuto.”  When  I saw  that  they  were 
making  fun  of  me,  I turned  to  Messer  Gaddi  and  said  : “ My 
dear  master,  know  that  I am  not  raving,  and  that  it  is  true 
that  this  old  man  is  really  giving  me  annoyance  ; but  the 
best  that  you  can  do  for  me  would  be  to  drive  that  miser- 
able Mattio  from  my  side,  who  is  laughing  at  my  affliction  ; 
afterwards  if  your  lordship  deigns  to  visit  me  again,  let  me 
beg  you  to  come  with  Messer  Antonio  Allegretti,  or  with 
Messer  Annibal  Caro,  or  with  some  other  of  your  accom- 
plished friends,  who  are  persons  of  quite  different  intelli- 
gence and  discretion  from  that  beast.”  Thereupon  Messer 
Giovanni  told  Mattio  in  jest  to  take  himself  out  of  his  sight 
for  ever  ; but  because  Mattio  went  on  laughing,  the  joke 
turned  to  earnest,  for  Messer  Giovanni  would  not  look  upon 
him  again,  but  sent  for  Messer  Antonio  Allegretti,  Messer 
Ludovico,  and  Messer  Annibal  Caro.  On  the  arrival  ■ of 
these  worthy  men,  I was  greatly  comforted,  and  talked 
reasonably  with  them  awhile,  not  however  without  fre- 
quently urging  Felice  to  drive  the  old  man  away.  Messer 
Ludovico  asked  me  what  it  was  I seemed  to  see,  and  how 
the  man  was  shaped.  While  I portrayed  him  accurately  in 
words,  the  old  man  took  me  by  the  arm  and  dragged  me 
violently  towards  him.  This  made  me  cry  out  for  aid,  be- 
cause he  was  going  to  fling  me  under  hatches  in  his  hideous 
boat.  On  saying  that  last  word,  I fell  into  a terrible  swoon, 
and  seemed  to  be  sinking  down  into  the  boat.  They  say 
that  during  that  fainting-fit  I flung  myself  about  and  cast 
bad  words  at  Messer  Giovanni  Gaddi,  to  wit,  that  he  came 
to  rob  me,  and  not  from  any  motive  of  charity,  and  other 
insults  of  the  kind,  which  caused  him  to  be  much  ashamed. 
Later  on,  they  say  I lay  still  like  one  dead  ; and  after  wait- 
ing by  me  more  than  an  hour,  thinking  I was  growing  cold, 
they  left  me  for  dead.  When  they  returned  home,  Mattio 
Franzesi  was  informed,  who  wrote  to  Florence  to  Messer 
Benedetto  Varchi,  my  very  dear  friend,  that  they  had  seen 
me  die  at  such  and  such  an  hour  of  the  night.  When  he 
heard  the  news,  that  most  accomplished  man  and  my  dear 
friend  composed  an  admirable  sonnet  upon  my  supposed  but 
not  real  death,  which  shall  be  reported  in  its  proper  place. 

More  than  three  long  hours  passed,  and  yet  I did  not 
regain  consciousness.  Felice  having  used  all  the  remedies 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


1 66 

prescribed  by  Maestro  Francesco,  and  seeing  that  I did  not 
come  to,  ran  post-haste  to  the  physician’s  door,  and  knocked 
so  loudly  that  he  woke  him  up,  and  made  him  rise,  and 
begged  him  with  tears  to  come  to  the  house,  for  he  thought 
that  I was  dead.  Whereto  Maestro  Francesco,  who  was  a 
very  choleric  man,  replied  : “ My  son,  of  what  use  do  you 
think  I should  be  if  I came  ? If  he  is  dead,  I am  more 
sorry  than  you  are.  Do  you  imagine  that  if  I were  to  come 
with  my  medicine  I could  blow  breath  up  through  his  guts^ 
and  bring  him  back  to  life  for  you  ? ” But  when  he  saw 
that  the  poor  young  fellow  was  going  away  weeping,  he 
called  him  back  and  gave  him  an  oil  with  which  to  anoint 
my  pulses  and  my  heart,  telling  him  to  pinch  my  little 
fingers  and  toes  very  tightly,  and  to  send  at  once  to  call 
him  if  I should  revive.  Felice  took  his  way,  and  did  as 
Maestro  Francesco  had  ordered.  It  was  almost  bright  day 
when,  thinking  they  would  have  to  abandon  hope,  they  gave 
orders  to  have  my  shroud  made  and  to  wash  me.  Suddenly 
I regained  consciousness,  and  called  out  to  Felice  to  drive 
away  the  old  man  on  the  moment,  who  kept  tormenting  me. 
He  wanted  to  send  for  Maestro  Francesco,  but  I told  him  not 
to  do  so,  but  to  come  close  up  to  me,  because  that  old  man 
was  afraid  of  him  and  went  away  at  once.  So  Felice  drew 
near  to  the  bed  ; I touched  him,  and  it  seemed  to  me  that  the 
infuriated  old  man  withdrew  ; so  I prayed  him  not  to  leave 
me  for  a second. 

When  Maestro  Francesco  appeared,  he  said  it  was  his 
dearest  wish  to  save  my  life,  and  that  he  had  never  in  all  his 
days  seen  greater  force  in  a young  man  than  I had.  Then 
he  sat  down  to  write,  and  prescribed  for  me  perfumes,  lotions, 
unctions,  plasters,  and  a heap  of  other  precious  things.  Mean- 
while I came  to  life  again  by  the  means  of  more  than  twenty 
leeches  applied  to  my  buttocks,  but  with  my  body  bored 
through,  bound,  and  ground  to  powder.  Many  of  my  friends 
crowded  in  to  behold  the  miracle  of  the  resuscitated  dead 
man,  and  among  them  people  of  the  first  importance. 

In  their  presence  I declared  that  the  small  amount  of  gold 
and  money  I possessed,  perhaps  some  eight  hundred  crowns, 
what  with  gold,  silver,  jewels,  and  cash,  should  be  given  by 
my  will  to  my  poor  sister  in  Florence,  called  Mona  Liperata  ; 


^ lo  gli  possa  soffiarc  in  culo 


BOOK  FIRST 


167 


all  the  remainder  of  my  property,  armour  and  everything 
besides,  I left  to  my  dearest  Felice,  together  with  fifty  golden 
ducats,  in  order  that  he  might  buy  mourning.  At  those  words 
Felice  flung  his  arms  around  my  neck,  protesting  that  he 
wanted  nothing  but  to  have  me  as  he  wished  alive  with  him. 
Then  I said  : “If  you  want  me  alive,  touch  me  as  you  did 
before,  and  threaten  the  old  man,  for  he  is  afraid  of  you.”  At 
these  words  some  of  the  folk  were  terrified,  knowing  that  I 
was  not  raving,  but  talking  to  the  purpose  and  with  all  my 
wits.  Thus  my  wretched  malady  went  dragging  on,  and  I 
got  but  little  better.  Maestro  Francesco,  that  most  excellent 
man,  came  four  or  five  times  a day  ; Messer  Giovanni  Gaddi, 
who  felt  ashamed,  did  not  visit  me  again.  My  brother-in-law, 
the  husband  of  my  sister,  arrived  ; he  came  from  Florence 
for  the  inheritance  ; but  as  he  was  a very  worthy  man,  he 
rejoiced  exceedingly  to  have  found  me  alive.  The  sight  of 
him  did  me  a world  of  good,  and  he  began  to  caress  me  at 
once,  saying  he  had  only  come  to  take  care  of  me  in  person  ; 
and  this  he  did  for  several  days.  Afterwards  I sent  him  away, 
having  almost  certain  hope  of  my  recovery.  On  this  occasion 
he  left  the  sonnet  of  Messer  Benedetto  Varchi,  which  runs 
as  follows  : ^ — 

“Who  shall,  Mattio,  yield  our  pain  relief? 

Who  shall  forbid  the  sad  expense  of  tears  ? 

Alas  ! ’tis  true  that  in  his  youthful  years 

Our  friend  hath  flown,  and  left  us  here  to  grief. 

He  hath  gone  up  to  heaven,  who  was  the  chief 
Of  men  renowned  in  art’s  immortal  spheres  ; 

Among  the  mighty  dead  he  had  no  peers, 

Nor  shall  earth  see  his  like,  in  my  belief. 

O gentle  sprite  ! if  love  still  sway  the  blest, 

Look  down  on  him  thou  here  didst  love,  and  view 
These  tears  that  mourn  my  loss,  not  thy  great  good. 

There  dost  thou  gaze  on  His  beatitude 
Who  made  our  universe,  and  findest  true 
The  form  of  Him  thy  skill  for  men  expressed.” 


^ This  sonnet,  is  so  insipid,  so  untrue  to  Cellini’s  real  place  in  art,  so  false 
to  the  far  from  saintly  character  of  the  man,  that  I would  rather  have  de- 
clined translating  it,  had  I not  observed  it  to  be  a good  example  of  that 
technical  and  conventional  insincerity  which  was  invading  Italy  at  this 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


1 68 


LXXXV 

My  sickness  had  been  of  such  a very  serious  nature  that 
it  seemed  impossible  for  me  to  fling  it  off.  That  worthy 
man  Maestro  Francesco  da  Norcia  redoubled  his  efforts, 
and  brought  me  every  day  fresh  remedies,  trying  to  re- 
store strength  to  my  miserable  unstrung  frame.  Yet  all 
these  endeavours  were  apparently  insufficient  to  overcome 
the  obstinacy  of  my  malady,  so  that  the  physicians  were 
in  despair  and  at  their  wits’  ends  what  to  do.  I was 
tormented  by  thirst,  but  had  abstained  from  drinking  for 
many  days  according  to  the  doctors’  orders.  Felice,  who 
thought  he  had  done  wonders  in  restoring  me,  never  left 
my  side.  That  old  man  ceased  to  give  so  much  annoyance, 
yet  sometimes  he  appeared  to  me  in  dreams. 

One  day  Felice  had  gone  out  of  doors,  leaving  me  under 
the  care  of  a young  apprentice  and  a servant-maid  called 
Beatrice.  I asked  the  apprentice  what  had  become  of  my 
lad  Cencio,  and  what  was  the  reason  why  I had  never 
seen  him  in  attendance  on  me.  The  boy  replied  that 
Cencio  had  been  far  more  ill  than  I was,  and  that  he  was 
even  at  death’s  door.  Felice  had  given  them  orders  not 
to  speak  to  me  of  this.  On  hearing  the  news,  I was 
exceedingly  distressed  ; then  I called  the  maid  Beatrice,  a 
Pistojan  girl,  and  asked  her  to  bring  me  a great  crystal 
water-cooler  which  stood  near,  full  of  clear  and  fresh  water. 
She  ran  at  once,  and  brought  it  to  me  full ; I told  her  to 
put  it  to  my  lips,  adding  that  if  she  let  me  take  a draught 
according  to  my  heart’s  content,  I would  give  her  a new 
gown.  This  maid  had  stolen  from  me  certain  little  things 
of  some  importance,  and  in  her  fear  of  being  detected,  she 
would  have  been  very  glad  if  I had  died.  Accordingly 
she  allowed  me  twice  to  take  as  much  as  I could  of  the 
water,  so  that  in  good  earnest  I swallowed  more  than  a 
flask  full.i  I then  covered  myself,  and  began  to  sweat, 
and  fell  into  a deep  sleep.  After  I had  slept  about  an 

epoch.  Varchi  was  reall)'^  sorry  to  hear  the  news  of  Cellini’s  death  ; but  for  his 
genuine  emotion  he  found  spurious  vehicles  of  utterance.  Cellini,  meanwhile, 
had  a right  to  prize  it,  since  it  revealed  to  him  what  friendship  was  prepared 
to  utter  after  his  decease. 

^ Un  fiasco,  holding  more  than  a quart. 


BOOK  FIRST 


169 


hour,  Felice  came  home  and  asked  the  boy  how  I was  get- 
ting on.  He  answered  : “I  do  not  know.  Beatrice  brought 
him  that  cooler  full  of  water,  and  he  has  drunk  almost  the 
whole  of  it.  I don’t  know  now  whether  he  is  alive  or  dead.” 
They  say  that  my  poor  friend  was  on  the  point  of  falling 
to  the  ground,  so  grieved  was  he  to  hear  this.  Afterwards 
he  took  an  ugly  stick  and  began  to  beat  the  serving-girl 
with  all  his  might,  shouting  out : “ Ah  ! traitress,  you  have 
killed  him  for  me  then?”  While  Felice  was  cudgelling 
and  she  screaming,  I was  in  a dream  ; I thought  the  old 
man  held  ropes  in  his  hand,  and  while  he  was  preparing 
to  bind  me,  Felice  had  arrived  and  struck  him  with  an  axe, 
so  that  the  old  man  fled  exclaiming  : “ Let  me  go,  and  I 
promise  not  to  return  for  a long  while.”  Beatrice  in  the 
meantime  had  run  into  my  bedroom  shrieking  loudly.  This 
woke  me  up,  and  I called  out : “ Leave  her  alone  ; perhaps, 
when  she  meant  to  do  me  harm,  she  did  me  more  good  than 
you  were  able  to  do  with  all  your  efforts.  She  may  indeed 
have  saved  my  life ; so  lend  me  a helping  hand,  for  I have 
sweated ; and  be  quick  about  it.”  Felice  recovered  his 
spirits,  dried  and  made  me  comfortable ; and  I,  being  con- 
scious of  a great  improvement  in  my  state,  began  to  reckon 
on  recovery. 

When  Maestro  Francesco  appeared  and  saw  my  great  im- 
provement, and  the  servant-girl  in  tears,  and  the  prentice 
running  to  and  fro,  and  Felice  laughing,  all  this  disturbance 
made  him  think  that  something  extraordinary  must  have 
happened,  which  had  been  the  cause  of  my  amendment. 
Just  then  the  other  doctor,  Bernardino,  put  in  his  appearance, 
who  at  the  beginning  of  my  illness  had  refused  to  bleed  me. 
Maestro  Francesco,  that  most  able  man,  exclaimed  : “ Oh, 
power  of  Nature  ! She  knows  what  she  requires,  and  the 
physicians  know  nothing.”  That  simpleton.  Maestro  Ber- 
nardino, made  answer,  saying : “ If  he  had  drunk  another 
bottle  he  would  have  been  cured  upon  the  spot.”  Maestro 
Francesco  da  Norcia,  a man  of  age  and  great  authority,  said  : 
“ That  would  have  been  a terrible  misfortune,  and  would  to 
God  that  it  may  fall  on  you  ! ” Afterwards  he  turned  to  me 
and  asked  if  I could  have  drunk  more  water.  I answered  : 
“ No,  because  I had  entirely  quenched  my  thirst.”  Then 
he  turned  to  Maestro  Bernardino,  and  said  : “ Look  you  how 
Nature  has  taken  precisely  what  she  wanted,  neither  more 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


170 

nor  less.  In  like  manner  she  was  asking  for  what  she  wanted 
when  the  poor  young  man  begged  you  to  bleed  him.  If 
you  knew  that  his  recovery  depended  upon  his  drinking  two 
flasks  of  water,  why  did  you  not  say  so  before  ? You  might 
then  have  boasted  of  his  cure.’’  At  these  words  the  wretched 
quack  sulkily  departed,  and  never  showed  his  face  again. 

Maestro  Francesco  then  gave  orders  that  I should  be 
removed  from  my  room  and  carried  to  one  of  the  hills  there 
are  in  Rome.  Cardinal  Cornaro,  when  he  heard  of  my  im- 
provement, had  me  transported  to  a place  of  his  on  Monte 
Cavallo.  That  very  evening  I was  taken  with  great  pre- 
cautions in  a chair,  well  wrapped  up  and  protected  from  the 
cold.  No  sooner  had  I reached  the  place  than  I began  to 
vomit,  during  which  there  came  from  my  stomach  a hairy 
worm  about  a quarter  of  a cubit  in  length  : the  hairs  were 
long,  and  the  worm  was  very  ugly,  speckled  of  divers 
colours,  green,  black,  and  red.  They  kept  and  showed  it 
to  the  doctor,  who  said  he  had  never  seen  anything  of  the 
sort  before,  and  afterwards  remarked  to  Felice:  “Now  take 
care  of  your  Benvenuto,  for  he  is  cured.  Do  not  permit 
him  any  irregularities ; for  though  he  has  escaped  this 
time,  another  disorder  now  would  be  the  death  of  him. 
You  see  his  malady  has  been  so  grave,  that  if  we  had 
brought  him  the  extreme  unction,  we  might  not  have  been 
in  time.  Now  I know  that  with  a little  patience  and  time 
he  will  live  to  execute  more  of  his  fine  works.”  Then 
he  turned  to  me  and  said  : “ My  Benvenuto,  be  prudent, 

commit  no  excesses,  and  when  you  are  quite  recovered,  I beg 
you  to  make  me  a Madonna  with  your  own  hand,  and  I 
will  always  pay  my  devotions  to  it  for  your  sake.”  This  I 
promised  to  do,  and  then  asked  him  whether  it  would  be 
safe  for  me  to  travel  so  far  as  to  Florence.  He  advised 
me  to  wait  till  I was  stronger,  and  till  we  could  observe 
how  Nature  worked  in  me. 


LXXXVI 

When  eight  days  had  come  and  gone,  my  amendment 
was  so  slight  that  life  itself  became  almost  a burden  to 
me  ; indeed  I had  been  more  than  fifty  days  in  that  great 
suffering.  So  I made  my  mind  up,  and  prepared  to  travel. 


BOOK  FIRST 


171 

My  clear  Felice  and  I went  toward  Florence  in  a pair  of 
baskets  ; ^ and  as  I had  not  written,  when  I reached  my 
sister’s  house,  she  wept  and  laughed  over  me  all  in  one 
breath.  That  day  many  of  my  friends  came  to  see  me  ; 
among  others  Pier  Landi,  who  was  the  best  and  dearest 
friend  I ever  had.  Next  day  there  came  a certain  Niccolb 
da  Monte  Aguto,  who  was  also  a very  great  friend  of  mine. 
Now  he  had  heard  the  Duke  say : “ Benvenuto  would  have 
done  much  better  to  die,  because  he  is  come  to  put  his  head 
into  a noose,  and  I will  never  pardon  him.”  Accordingly 
when  Niccolb  arrived,  he  said  to  me  in  desperation  : “Alas  ! 
my  dear  Benvenuto,  what  have  you  come  to  do  here  ? 
Did  you  not  know  what  you  have  done  to  displease  the 
Duke  ? I have  heard  him  swear  that  you  were  thrusting 
your  head  into  a halter.”  Then  I replied  : “ Niccolb,  re- 
mind his  Excellency  that  Pope  Clement  wanted  to  do  as 
much  to  me  before,  and  quite  as  unjustly ; tell  him  to  keep 
his  eye  on  me,  and  give  me  time  to  recover  ; then  I will 
show  his  Excellency  that  I have  been  the  most  faithful 
servant  he  will  ever  have  in  all  his  life  ; and  forasmuch  as 
some  enemy  must  have  served  me  this  bad  turn  through 
envy,  let  him  wait  till  I get  well ; for  I shall  then  be  able  to 
give  such  an  account  of  myself  as  will  make  him  marvel.” 

This  bad  turn  had  been  done  me  by  Giorgetto  Vassellario 
of  Arezzo,^  the  painter  ; perchance  in  recompense  for  many 
benefits  conferred  on  him.  I had  harboured  him  in  Rome 
and  provided  for  his  costs,  while  he  had  turned  my  whole 
house  upside  down  ; for  the  man  was  subject  to  a species 
of  dry  scab,  which  he  was  always  in  the  habit  of  scratching 
with  his  hands.  It  happened,  then,  that  sleeping  in  the 
same  bed  as  an  excellent  workman,  named  Manno,  who 
was  in  my  service,  when  he  meant  to  scratch  himself,  he 
tore  the  skin  from  one  of  Manno’s  legs  with  his  filthy  claws, 
the  nails  of  which  he  never  used  to  cut.  The  said  Manno 
left  my  service,  and  was  resolutely  bent  on  killing  him.  I 
made  the  quarrel  up,  and  afterwards  got  Giorgio  into  Car- 
dinal de’  Medici’s  household,  and  continually  helped  him. 

1 Un  paio  di  cesie,  a kind  of  litter,  here  described  in  the  plural,  because  two 
of  them  were  perhaps  put  together.  I have  thought  it  best  to  translate  the 
phrase  literally.  From  a letter  of  Varchi  to  Bembo,  we  learn  that  Cellini 
reached  Florence,  November  9,  1535. 

2 This  is  the  famous  Giorgio  Vasari,  a bad  painter  and  worse  architect,  but 
dear  to  all  lovers  of  the  arts  for  his  anecdotic  work  upon  Italian  artists. 


172 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


For  these  deserts,  then,  he  told  Duke  Alessandro  that  I had 
abused  his  Excellency,  and  had  bragged  I meant  to  be  the 
first  to  leap  upon  the  walls  of  Florence  with  his  foes  the 
exiles.  These  words,  as  I afterwards  learned,  had  been 
put  into  Vasari’s  lips  by  that  excellent  fellow^  Ottaviano 
de’  Medici,  who  wanted  to  revenge  himself  for  the  Duke’s 
irritation  against  him,  on  account  of  the  coinage  and  my 
departure  from  Florence.  I,  being  innocent  of  the  crime 
falsely  ascribed  to  me,  felt  no  fear  whatever.  Meanwhile 
that  able  physician  Francesco  da  Monte  Varchi  attended  to 
my  cure  with  great  skill.  He  had  been  brought  by  my  very 
dear  friend  Luca  Martini,  who  passed  the  larger  portion  of 
the  day  with  me.^ 


LXXXVIl 

During  this  while  I had  sent  my  devoted  comrade  Felice 
back  to  Rome,  to  look  after  our  business  there.  When 
I could  raise  my  head  a little  from  the  bolster,  which  was 
at  the  end  of  fifteen  days,  although  I was  unable  to  walk 
upon  my  feet,  I had  myself  carried  to  the  palace  of  the 
Medici,  and  placed  upon  the  little  upper  terrace.  There 
they  seated  me  to  wait  until  the  Duke  went  by.  Many  of 
my  friends  at  court  came  up  to  greet  me,  and  expressed 
surprise  that  I had  undergone  the  inconvenience  of  being 
carried  in  that  way,  while  so  shattered  by  illness ; they 
said  that  I ought  to  have  waited  till  I was  well,  and  then 
to  have  visited  the  Duke.  A crowd  of  them  collected,  all 
looking  at  me  as  a sort  of  miracle  ; not  merely  because 
they  had  heard  that  I was  dead,  but  far  more  because  I 
had  the  look  of  a dead  man.  Then  publicly,  before  them 
all,  I said  how  some  wicked  scoundrel  had  told  my  lord  the 
Duke  that  I had  bragged  I meant  to  be  the  first  to  scale 
his  Excellency’s  walls,  and  also  that  I had  abused  him  per- 
sonally ; wherefore  I had  not  the  heart  to  live  or  die  till  I 
had  purged  myself  of  that  infamy,  and  found  out  who  the 
audacious  rascal  was  who  had  uttered  such  calumnies 
against  me.  At  these  words  a large  number  of  those  gentle- 
men came  round,  expressing  great  compassion  for  me  ; one 

^ Galantiiomo^  used  ironically. 

^ Luca  Martini  was  a member  of  the  best  literary  society  in  his  days,  and 
the  author  of  some  famous  burlesque  pieces. 


BOOK  FIRST 


173 


said  one  thing,  one  another,  and  I told  them  T would 
never  go  thence  before  I knew  who  had  accused  me.  At 
these  words  Maestro  Agostino,  the  Duke’s  tailor,  made  his 
way  through  all  those  gentlemen,  and  ^id  : “If  that  is  all 
you  want  to  know,  you  shall  know  it  at  this  very  moment.  ” 

Giorgio  the  painter,  whom  I have  mentioned,  happened 
just  then  to  pass,  and  Maestro  Agostino  exclaimed  : “ There 
is  the  man  who  accused  you  ; now  you  know  yourself  if  it 
be  true  or  not.”  As  fiercely  as  I could,  not  being  able  to 
leave  my  seat,  I asked  Giorgio  if  it  was  true  that  he  had 
accused  me.  He  denied  that  it  was  so,  and  that  he  had 
ever  said  anything  of  the  sort.  Maestro  Agostino  retorted  : 
“You  gallows-bird  ! don’t  you  know  that  I know  it  for  most 
certain  ? ” Giorgio  made  off  as  quickly  as  he  could,  repeat- 
ing that  he  had  not  accused  me.  Then,  after  a short  while, 
the  Duke  came  by ; whereupon  I had  myself  raised  up 
before  his  Excellency,  and  he  halted.  I told  him  that  I 
had  come  there  in  that  way  solely  in  order  to  clear  my 
character.  The  Duke  gazed  at  me,  and  marvelled  I was 
still  alive ; afterwards  he  bade  me  take  heed  to  be  an 
honest  man  and  regain  my  health. 

When  I reached  home,  Niccolo  da  Monte  Aguto  came  to 
visit  me,  and  told  me  that  I had  escaped  one  of  the  most 
dreadful  perils  in  the  world,  quite  contrary  to  all  his  expec- 
tations, for  he  had  seen  my  ruin  written  with  indelible  ink ; 
now  I must  make  haste  to  get  well,  and  afterwards  take 
French  leave,  because  my  jeopardy  came  from  a quarter 
and  a man  who  was  able  to  destroy  me.  He  then  said, 
“ Beware,  ” and  added  : “ What  displeasure  have  you  given 
to  that  rascal  Ottaviano  de’  Medici  ? ” I answered  that  I 
had  done  nothing  to  displease  him,  but  that  he  had  injured 
me ; and  told  him  all  the  affair  about  the  Mint.  He 
repeated  : “ Get  hence  as  quickly  as  you  can,  and  be  of 
good  courage,  for  you  will  see  your  vengeance  executed 
sooner  than  you  expect.”  I paid  the  best  attention  to  my 
health,  gave  Pietro  Pagolo  advice  about  stamping  the  coins, 
and  then  went  off  upon  my  way  to  Rome  without  saying  a 
word  to  the  Duke  or  anybody  eise< 


1J4 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


LXXXVIII 

When  I reached  Rome,  and  had  enjoyed  the  company 
of  my  friends  awhile,  I began  the  Duke’s  medal.  In  a few 
days  I finished  the  head  in  steel,  and  it  was  the  finest 
work  of  the  kind  which  I had  ever  produced.  At  least 
once  every  day  there  came  to  visit  me  a sort  of  blockhead 
named  Messer  Francesco  Soderini.^  When  he  saw  what 
I was  doing,  he  used  frequently  to  exclaim : “ Barbarous 
wretch  ! you  want  then  to  immortalise  that  ferocious  tyrant ! 
You  have  never  made  anything  so  exquisite,  which  proves 
you  our  inveterate  foe  and  their  devoted  friend  ; and  yet 
the  Pope  and  he  have  had  it  twice  in  mind  to  hang  you 
without  any  fault  of  yours.  That  was  the  Father  and  the 
Son  ; now  beware  of  the  Holy  Ghost.”  It  was  firmly  be- 
lieved that  Duke  Alessandro  was  the  son  of  Pope  Clement. 
Messer  Francesco  used  also  to  say  and  swear  by  all  his 
saints  that,  if  he  could,  he  would  have  robbed  me  of  the 
dies  for  that  medal.  I responded  that  he  had  done  well  to 
tell  me  so,  and  that  I would  take  such  care  of  them  that 
he  should  never  see  them  more. 

I now  sent  to  Florence  to  request  Lorenzino  that  he 
would  send  me  the  reverse  of  the  medal.  Niccolb  da  Monte 
Aguto,  to  whom  I had  written,  wrote  back,  saying  that  he 
had  spoken  to  that  mad  melancholy  philosopher  Lorenzino 
for  it ; he  had  replied  that  he  was  thinking  night  and  day 
of  nothing  else,  and  that  he  would  finish  it  as  soon  as  he 
was  able.  Nevertheless,  I was  not  to  set  my  hopes  upon 
his  reverse,  but  I had  better  invent  one  out  of  my  own 
head,  and  when  I had  finished  it,  I might  bring  it  without 
hesitation  to  the  Duke,  for  this  would  be  to  my  advantage. 

I composed  the  design  of  a reverse  which  seemed  to  me 
appropriate,  and  pressed  the  work  forward  to  my  best  ability. 
Not  being,  however,  yet  recovered  from  that  terrible  illness, 
I gave  myself  frequent  relaxation  by  going  out  on  fowling 
expeditions  with  my  friend  Felice.  This  man  had  no  skill 
in  my  art  ; but  since  we  were  perpetually  day  and  night 
together,  everybody  thought  he  was  a first-rate  craftsman. 
This  being  so,  as  he  was  a fellow  of  much  humour,  we  used 


He  had  been  banished  in  1530  as  a foe  to  the  Medicean  house. 


BOOK  FIRST 


175 


often  to  laugh  together  about  the  great  credit  he  had  gained. 
His  name  was  Felice  Guadagni  (Gain),  which  made  him 
say  in  jest:  “I  should  be  called  Felice  Gain-little  if  you 
had  not  enabled  me  to  acquire  such  credit  that  I can  call 
myself  Gain- much.’’  I replied  that  there  are  two  ways  of 
gaining  : the  first  is  that  by  which  one  gains  for  one’s  self, 
the  second  that  by  which  one  gains  for  others  ; so  I praised 
him  much  more  for  the  second  than  the  first,  since  he  had 
gained  for  me  my  life. 

We  often  held  such  conversations ; but  I remember  one  in 
particular  on  the  day  of  Epiphany,  when  we  were  together 
near  La  Magliana.  It  was  close  upon  nightfall,  and  during 
the  day  I had  shot  a good  number  of  ducks  and  geese  ; 
then,  as  I had  almost  made  my  mind  up  to  shoot  no  more 
that  time,  we  were  returning  briskly  toward  Rome.  Calling 
to  my  dog  by  his  name,  Barucco,  and  not  seeing  him  in 
front  of  me,  I turned  round  and  noticed  that  the  well-trained 
animal  was  pointing  at  some  geese  which  had  settled  in 
a ditch.  I therefore  dismounted  at  once,  got  my  fowling- 
piece  ready,  and  at  a very  long  range  brought  two  of  them 
down  with  a single  ball.  I never  used  to  shoot  with  more 
than  one  ball,  and  was  usually  able  to  hit  my  mark  at  two 
hundred  cubits,  which  cannot  be  done  by  other  ways  of 
loading.  Of  the  two  geese,  one  was  almost  dead,  and  the 
other,  though  badly  wounded,  was  flying  lamely.  My  dog 
retrieved  the  one  and  brought  it  to  me  ; but  noticing  that 
the  other  was  diving  down  into  the  ditch,  I sprang  forward 
to  catch  it.  Trusting  to  my  boots,  which  came  high  up 
the  leg,  I put  one  foot  forward  ; it  sank  in  the  oozy  ground  ; 
and  so,  although  I got  the  goose,  the  boot  of  my  right  leg 
was  full  of  water.  I lifted  my  foot  and  let  the  water  run 
out ; then,  when  I had  mounted,  we  made  haste  for  Rome. 
The  cold,  however,  was  very  great,  and  I felt  my  leg  freeze, 
so  that  I said  to  Felice  : “We  must  do  something  to  help 
this  leg,  for  I don’t  know  how  to  bear  it  longer.”  The 
good  Felice,  without  a word,  leapt  from  his  horse,  and 
gathering  some  thistles  and  bits  of  stick,  began  to  build  a 
fire.  I meanwhile  was  waiting,  and  put  my  hands  among 
the  breast-feathers  of  the  geese,  and  felt  them  very  warm. 
So  I told  him  not  to  make  the  fire,  but  filled  my  boot  with 
the  feathers  of  the  goose,  and  was  immediately  so  much 
comforted  that  I regained  vitality. 


176 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


LXXXIX 

We  mounted,  and  rode  rapidly  toward  Rome  ; and  when 
we  had  reached  a certain  gently  rising  ground — night  had 
already  fallen — looking  in  the  direction  of  Florence,  both 
with  one  breath  exclaimed  in  the  utmost  astonishment : “ O 
God  of  heaven  ! what  is  that  great  thing  one  sees  there 
over  Florence?”  It  resembled  a huge  beam  of  fire,  which 
sparkled  and  gave  out  extraordinary  lustre. 

I said  to  Felice  : “ Assuredly  w^e  shall  hear  to-morrow  that 
something  of  vast  importance  has  happened  in  Florence.” 
As  we  rode  into  Rome,  the  darkness  was  extreme  ; and  when 
we  came  near  the  Banchi  and  our  own  house,  my  little  horse 
was  going  in  an  amble  at  a furious  speed.  Now  that  day  they 
had  thrown  a heap  of  plaster  and  broken  tiles  in  the  middle 
of  the  road,  which  neither  my  horse  nor  myself  perceived. 
In  his  fiery  pace  the  beast  ran  up  it ; but  on  coming  down 
upon  the  other  side  he  turned  a complete  somersault.  He 
had  his  head  between  his  legs,  and  it  was  only  through  the 
power  of  God  himself  that  I escaped  unhurt.  The  noise  we 
made  brought  the  neighbours  out  with  lights  ; but  I had 
already  jumped  to  my  feet ; and  so,  without  remounting,  I 
ran  home,  laughing  to  have  come  unhurt  out  of  an  accident 
enough  to  break  my  neck. 

On  entering  the  house,  I found  some  friends  of  mine  there, 
to  whom,  while  we  were  supping  together,  I related  the 
adventures  of  the  day’s  chase  and  the  diabolical  apparition 
of  the  fiery  beam  which  we  had  seen.  They  exclaimed  : 
“What  shall  we  hear  to-morrow  which  this  portent  has 
announced  ? ” I answered  : “ Some  revolution  must  cer- 
tainly have  occurred  in  Florence.”  So  we  supped  agreeably  ; 
and  late  the  next  day  there  came  the  news  to  Rome  of  Duke 
Alessandro’s  death.^  Upon  this  many  of  my  acquaintances 
came  to  me  and  said  : “You  were  right  in  conjecturing  that 
something  of  great  importance  had  happened  at  Florence.” 
Just  then  Francesco  Soderini  appeared  jogging  along  upon 
a wretched  mule  he  had,  and  laughing  all  the  way  like  a 
madman.  He  said  to  me  : “ This  is  the  reverse  of  that 

1 Alessandro  was  murdered  by  his  cousin  Lorenzino  at  Florence  on  the  5th 
of  January  1537. 


BOOK  FIRST 


177 


vile  tyrant’s  medal  which  your  Lorenzino  de’  Medici  promised 
you.”  Then  he  added:  “You  wanted  to  immortalise  the 
dukes  for  us  ; but  we  mean  to  have  no  more  dukes  : ” and 
thereupon  he  jeered  me,  as  though  I had  been  the  captain 
of  the  factions  which  make  dukes.  Meanwhile  a certain 
Baccio  Bettini,!  who  had  an  ugly  big  head  like  a bushel, 
came  up  and  began  to  banter  me  in  the  same  way  about 
dukes,  calling  out : “We  have  dis-duked  them,  and  won’t  have 
any  more  of  them  ; and  you  were  for  making  them  immortal 
for  us ! ” with  many  other  tiresome  quips  of  the  same  kind. 
I lost  my  patience  at  this  nonsense,  and  said  to  them  : “You 
blockheads  ! I am  a poor  goldsmith,  who  serve  whoever 
pays  me  ; and  you  are  jeering  me  as  though  I were  a party- 
leader.  However,  this  shall  not  make  me  cast  in  your 
teeth  the  insatiable  greediness,  idiotcy,  and  good-for-nothing- 
ness of  your  predecessors.  But  this  one  answer  I will  make 
to  all  your  silly  railleries ; that  before  two  or  three  days  at 
the  longest  have  passed  by,  you  will  have  another  duke, 
much  worse  perhaps  than  he  who  now  has  left  you.”  2 

The  following  day  Bettini  came  to  my  shop  and  said : 
“ There  is  no  need  to  spend  money  in  couriers,  for  you 
know  things  before  they  happen.  What  spirit  tells  them 
to  you?”  Then  he  informed  me  that  Cosimo  de’  Medici, 
the  son  of  Signor  Giovanni,  was  made  Duke ; but  that 
certain  conditions  had  been  imposed  at  his  election,  which 
would  hold  him  back  from  kicking  up  his  heels  at  his  own 
pleasure.  I now  had  my  opportunity  for  laughing  at  them, 
and  saying  : “ Those  men  of  Florence  have  set  a young 
man  upon  a mettlesome  horse ; next  they  have  buckled 
spurs  upon  his  heels,  and  put  the  bridle  freely  in  his  hands, 
and  turned  him  out  upon  a magnificent  field,  full  of  flowers 
and  fruits  and  all  delightful  things;  next  they  have  bidden 
him  not  to  cross  certain  indicated  limits  : now  tell  me,  you, 
who  there  is  that  can  hold  him  back,  whenever  he  has  but 
the  mind  to  cross  them  ? Laws  cannot  be  imposed  on 
him  who  is  the  master  of  the  law.”  So  they  left  me  alone, 
and  gave  me  no  further  annoyance.  ^ 

^ Bettini  was  an  intimate  friend  of  Buonarroti  and  a considerable  patron  of 
the  arts. 

- This  exchange  of  ironical  compliments  testifies  to  Cellini’s  strong  Medi- 
cean  leanings,  and  also  to  the  sagacity  with  which  he  judged  the  political 
situation. 

^ Cellini  only  spoke  the  truth  on  this  occasion  ; for  Cosimo  soon  kicked 

M 


178 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


XC 

I now  began  to  attend  to  my  shop,  and  did  some  busi- 
ness, not  however  of  much  moment,  because  I had  still  to 
think  about  my  health,  which  was  not  yet  established  after 
that  grave  illness  I had  undergone.  About  this  time  the 
Emperor  returned  victorious  from  his  expedition  against 
Tunis,  and  the  Pope  sent  for  me  to  take  my  advice  con- 
cerning the  present  of  honour  it  was  fit  to  give  him.^  I 
answered  that  it  seemed  to  me  most  appropriate  to  present 
his  Imperial  Majest3^  with  a golden  crucihx,  for  which  I 
had  almost  finished  an  ornament  quite  to  the  purpose,  and 
which  would  confer  the  highest  honour  upon  his  Holiness 
and  me.  I had  already  made  three  httle  figures  of  gold  in 
the  round,  about  a palm  high  ; they  were  those  which  I 
had  begim  for  the  chahce  of  Pope  Clement,  representing 
Faith,  Hope,  and  Chari h’.  To  these  I added  in  wax  what 
was  wanting  for  the  basement  of  the  cross.  I carried  the 
whole  to  the  Pope,  with  the  Christ  in  wax,  and  many  other 
exquisite  decorations  which  gave  him  complete  satisfaction. 
Before  I took  leave  of  his  HoHness,  we  had  agreed  on  every^ 
detail,  and  calculated  the  price  of  the  work. 

This  was  one  evening  four  hours  after  nightfall,  and  the 
Pope  had  ordered  Messer  Latino  Juvenale  to  see  that  I had 
mone^’  paid  to  me  next  morning.  This  Messer  Latino,  who 
had  a prett}'  big  dash  of  the  fool  in  his  composition,  be- 
thought him  of  furnishing  the  Pope  with  a new  idea,  which 
was,  however,  wholl}’  of  his  own  invention.  So  he  altered 
everything  which  had  been  arranged  ; and  next  morning, 
when  I went  for  the  mone}",  he  said  with  his  usual  brutal 
arrogance  : “ It  is  our  part  to  invent,  and  yours  to  execute  ; 
before  I left  the  Pope  last  night  we  thought  of  something 
far  superior.”  To  these  first  words  I answered,  without  allow- 
ing him  to  proceed  farther  : “ Neither  3™  nor  the  Pope 
can  think  of  anything  better  than  a piece  in  which  Christ 
plays  a part ; so  3’ou  may  go  on  with  3^our  courtier^  s non- 
sense till  3’ou  have  no  more  to  sa3t” 

down  the  ladder  which  had  lifted  him  to  sovereignty,  and  showed  himself  the 
absolute  master  of  Florence.  Cosimo  was  elected  Duke  upon  the  9th  of 
January  1537. 

^ Cellini  returns  to  the  year  1535,  when  Charles  V.  arrived  in  November 
from  Tunis. 


BOOK  FIRST 


179 


Without  uttering  one  word,  he  left  me  in  a rage,  and 
tried  to  get  the  work  given  to  another  goldsmith.  The 
Pope,  however,  refused,  and  sent  for  me  at  once,  and  told 
me  I had  spoken  well,  but  that  they  wanted  to  make  use 
of  a Book  of  Hours  of  Our  Lady,  which  was  marvellously 
illuminated,  and  had  cost  the  Cardinal  de’  Medici  more  than 
two  thousand  crowns.  They  thought  that  this  would  be 
an  appropriate  present  to  the  Empress,  and  that  for  the 
Emperor  they  would  afterwards  make  what  I had  suggested, 
which  was  indeed  a present  worthy  of  him  ; but  now  there 
was  no  time  to  lose,  since  the  Emperor  was  expected  in 
Rome  in  about  a month  and  a half.  He  wanted  the  book 
to  be  enclosed  in  a case  of  massive  gold,  richly  worked, 
and  adorned  with  jewels  valued  at  about  six  thousand 
crowns.  Accordingly,  when  the  jewels  and  the  gold  were 
given  me,  I began  the  work,  and  driving  it  briskly  forward, 
in  a few  days  brought  it  to  such  beauty  that  the  Pope  was 
astonished,  and  showed  me  the  most  distinguished  signs  of 
favour,  conceding  at  the  same  time  that  that  beast  Juvenale 
should  have  nothing  more  to  do  with  me 

I had  nearly  brought  my  work  to  its  completion  when 
the  Emperor  arrived,  and  numerous  triumphal  arches  of 
great  magnificence  were  erected  in  his  honour.  He  entered 
Rome  with  extraordinary  pomp,  the  description  of  which 
I leave  to  others,  since  I mean  to  treat  of  those  things  only 
which  concern  myself. ^ Immediately  after  his  arrival,  he 
gave  the  Pope  a diamond  which  he  had  bought  for  twelve 
thousand  crowns.  This  diamond  the  Pope  committed  to 
my  care,  ordering  me  to  make  a ring  to  the  measure  of  his 
Holiness’s  linger ; but  first  he  wished  me  to  bring  the  book 
in  the  state  to  which  I had  advanced  it.  I took  it  accord- 
ingly, and  he  was  highly  pleased  with  it ; then  he  asked  my 
advice  concerning  the  apology  which  could  be  reasonably 
made  to  the  Emperor  for  the  unfinished  condition  of  my 
work.  I said  that  my  indisposition  would  furnish  a sound 
excuse,  since  his  Majesty,  seeing  how  thin  and  pale  I was, 
would  very  readily  believe  and  accept  it.  To  this  the  Pope 
replied  that  he  approved  of  the  suggestion,  but  that  I should 
add  on  the  part  of  his  Holiness,  when  I presented  the  book 
to  the  Emperor,  that  I made  him  the  present  of  myself. 

^ The  entry  into  Rome  took  place  April  6,  1536. 


i8o  LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 

Then  he  told  me  in  detail  how  I had  to  behave,  and  the 
words  I had  to  say.  These  words  I repeated  to  the  Pope, 
asking  him  if  he  wished  me  to  deliver  them  in  that  way. 
He  replied  : “You  would  acquit  yourself  to  admiration  if 
you  had  the  courage  to  address  the  Emperor  as  you  are 
addressing  me.’’  Then  I said  that  I had  the  courage  to 
speak  with  far  greater  ease  and  freedom  to  the  Emperor, 
seeing  that  the  Emperor  was  clothed  as  I was,  and  that  I 
should  seem  to  be  speaking  to  a man  formed  like  myself  ; 
this  was  not  the  case  when  I addressed  his  Holiness,  in 
whom  I beheld  a far  superior  deity,  both  by  reason  of  his 
ecclesiastical  adornments,  which  shed  a certain  aureole  about 
him,  and  at  the  same  time  because  of  his  Holiness’s  dignity 
of  venerable  age  ; all  these  things  inspired  in  me  more  awe 
than  the  Imperial  Majesty.  To  these  words  the  Pope  re- 
sponded : “ Go,  my  Benvenuto  ; you  are  a man  of  ability  ; 
do  us  honour,  and  it  will  be  well  for  you.” 


XCI 

The  Pope  ordered  out  two  Turkish  horses,  which  had 
belonged  to  Pope  Clement,  and  were  the  most  beautiful 
that  ever  came  to  Christendom.  Messer  Durante,^  his 
chamberlain,  was  bidden  to  bring  them  through  the  lower 
galleries  of  the  palace,  and  there  to  give  them  to  the 
Emperor,  repeating  certain  words  which  his  Holiness  dic- 
tated to  him.  We  both  went  down  together,  and  when  we 
reached  the  presence  of  the  Emperor,  the  horses  made  their 
entrance  through  those  halls  with  so  much  spirit  and  such 
a noble  carriage  that  the  Emperor  and  every  one  were 
struck  with  wonder.  Thereupon  Messer  Durante  advanced 
in  so  graceless  a manner,  and  delivered  his  speech  with  so 
much  of  Brescian  lingo,  mumbling  his  words  over  in  his 
mouth,  that  one  never  saw  or  heard  anything  worse  ; in- 
deed the  Emperor  could  not  refrain  from  smiling  at  him. 
I meanwhile  had  already  uncovered  my  piece  ; and  observ- 
ing that  the  Emperor  had  turned  his  eyes  towards  me  with 
a very  gracious  look,  I advanced  at  once  and  said  : “ Sacred 
Majesty,  our  most  holy  Father,  Pope  Paolo,  sends  this  book 

^ Messer  Durante  Duranti,  Prefect  of  the  Camera  under  Paul  III.,  who 
gave  him  the  hat  in  1544,  and  the  Bishopric  of  Brescia  afterwards. 


BOOK  FIRST 


i8i 


of  the  Virgin  as  a present  to  your  Majesty,  the  which  is 
written  in  a fair  clerk’s  hand,  and  illuminated  by  the 
greatest  master  who  ever  professed  that  art ; and  this  rich 
cover  of  gold  and  jewels  is  unfinished,  as  you  here  behold 
it,  by  reason  of  my  illness  : wherefore  his  Holiness,  to- 
gether with  the  book,  presents  me  also,  and  attaches  me  to 
your  Majesty  in  order  that  I may  complete  the  work ; nor 
this  alone,  but  everything  which  you  may  have  it  in  your 
mind  to  execute  so  long  as  life  is  left  me,  will  I perform 
at  your  service.”  Thereto  the  Emperor  responded  : “ The 
book  is  acceptable  to  me,  and  so  are  you  ; but  I desire  you 
to  complete  it  for  me  in  Rome  ; when  it  is  finished,  and 
you  are  restored  to  health,  bring  it  me  and  come  to  see 
me.”  Afterwards,  in  course  of  conversation,  he  called  me 
by  my  name,  which  made  me  wonder,  because  no  words 
had  been  dropped  in  which  my  name  occurred  ; and  he 
said  that  he  had  seen  that  fastening  of  Pope  Clement’s 
cope,  on  which  I had  wrought  so  many  wonderful  figures. 
We  continued  talking  in  this  way  a whole  half  hour,  touch- 
ing on  divers  topics  artistic  and  agreeable ; then,  since  it 
seemed  to  me  that  I had  acquitted  myself  with  more  honour 
than  I had  expected,  I took  the  occasion  of  a slight  lull  in 
the  conversation  to  make  my  bow  and  to  retire.  The  Em- 
peror was  heard  to  say  : “ Let  five  hundred  golden  crowns 
be  given  at  once  to  Benvenuto.”  The  person  who  brought 
them  up  asked  who  the  Pope’s  man  was  who  had  spoken 
to  the  Emperor.  Messer  Durante  came  forward  and  robbed 
me  of  my  five  hundred  crowns.  I complained  to  the  Pope, 
who  told  me  not  to  be  uneasy,  for  he  knew  how  every- 
thing had  happened,  and  how  well  I had  conducted  myself 
in  addressing  the  Emperor,  and  of  the  money  I should  cer- 
tainly obtain  my  share. 


XCII 

When  I returned  to  my  shop,  I set  my  hand  with  dili- 
gence to  finishing  the  diamond  ring,  concerning  which  the 
four  first  jewellers  of  Rome  were  sent  to  consult  with  me. 
This  was  because  the  Pope  had  been  informed  that  the 
diamond  had  been  set  by  the  first  jeweller  of  the  world  in 
Venice  ; he  was  called  Maestro  Miliano  Targhetta  ; and  the 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


182 

diamond  being  somewhat  thin,  the  job  of  setting  it  was  too 
difficult  to  be  attempted  without  great  deliberation.  I was 
well  pleased  to  receive  these  four  jewellers,  among  whom 
was  a man  of  Milan  called  Gaio.  He  was  the  most  pre- 
sumptuous donkey  in  the  world,  the  one  who  knew  least 
and  who  thought  he  knew  most  ; the  others  were  very 
modest  and  able  craftsmen.  In  the  presence  of  us  all  this 
Gaio  began  to  talk,  and  said  : “ Miliano’s  foil  should  be  pre- 
served, and  to  do  that,  Benvenuto,  you  shall  doff  your 
cap  ; ^ for  just  as  giving  diamonds  a tint  is  the  most  deli- 
cate and  difficult  thing  in  the  jeweller’s  art,  so  is  Miliano 
the  greatest  jeweller  that  ever  lived,  and  this  is  the  most 
difficult  diamond  to  tint.”  I replied  that  it  was  all  the 
greater  glory  for  me  to  compete  with  so  able  a master  in 
such  an  excellent  profession.  Afterwards  I turned  to  the 
other  jew^ellers  and  said:  “Look  here!  I am  keeping 
Miliano’s  foil,  and  I will  see  whether  I can  improve  on  it 
with  some  of  my  own  manufacture  ; if  not,  we  will  tint  it 
with  the  same  you  see  here.”  That  ass  Gaio  exclaimed 
that  if  I made  a foil  like  that  he  would  gladly  doff  his  cap 
to  it.  To  which  I replied:  “Supposing  then  I make  it 
better,  it  will  deserve  two  bows.”  “ Certainly  so,”  said  he  ; 
and  I began  to  compose  my  foils. 

1 took  the  very  greatest  pains  in  mixing  the  tints,  the 
method  of  doing  which  I will  explain  in  the  proper  place.^ 
It  is  certain  that  the  diamond  in  question  offered  more 
difficulties  than  any  others  which  before  or  afterwards  have 
come  into  my  hands,  and  Miliano’s  foil  was  made  with 
true  artistic  skill.  However,  that  did  not  dismay  me  ; but 
having  sharpened  my  wits  up,  I succeeded  not  only  in 
making  something  quite  as  good,  but  in  exceeding  it  by 
far.  Then,  when  I saw  that  I had  surpassed  him,  I went 
about  to  surpass  myself,  and  produced  a foil  by  new 
processes  which  was  a long  way  better  than  what  I had 
previously  made.  Thereupon  I sent  for  the  jewellers  ; and 
first  I tinted  the  diamond  with  Miliano’s  foil  ; then  I 
cleaned  it  well  and  tinted  it  afresh  with  my  own.  When 
I showed  it  to  the  jewellers,  one  of  the  best  among  them, 

^ In  the  Oreficeria  Cellini  gives  an  account  of  how  these  foils  were  made 
and  applied.  They  were  composed  of  paste,  and  coloured  so  as  to  enhance 
the  effect  of  precious  stones,  particularly  diamonds. 

2 07-eJice7-ia^  cap.  i. 


BOOK  FIRST 


183 


who  was  called  Raffael  del  Moro,  took  the  diamond  in  his 
hand  and  said  to  Gaio  : “ Benvenuto  has  outdone  the  foil 
of  Miliano/^  Gaio,  unwilling  to  believe  it,  took  the  dia- 
mond and  said  : “ Benvenuto,  this  diamond  is  worth  two 
thousand  ducats  more  than  with  the  foil  of  Miliano.” 
I rejoined  : “ Now  that  I have  surpassed  Miliano,  let  us 
see  if  I can  surpass  myself.’’  Then  I begged  them  to  wait 
for  me  a while,  went  up  into  a little  cabinet,  and  having 
tinted  the  diamond  anew  unseen  by  them,  returned  and 
showed  it  to  the  jewellers.  Gaio  broke  out  at  once : 
“ This  is  the  most  marvellous  thing  that  I have  ever  seen 
in  the  course  of  my  whole  lifetime.  The  stone  is  worth 
upwards  of  eighteen  thousand  crowns,  whereas  we  valued 
it  at  barely  twelve  thousand.”  The  other  jewellers  turned 
to  him  and  said  : ” Benvenuto  is  the  glory  of  our  art,  and 
it  is  only  due  that  we  should  doff  our  caps  to  him  and  to 
his  foils.”  Then  Gaio  said  : “ I shall  go  and  tell  the  Pope, 
and  I mean  to  procure  for  him  one  thousand  golden 
crowns  for  the  setting  of  this  diamond.”  Accordingly  he 
hurried  to  the  Pope  and  told  him  the  whole  story ; where- 
upon his  Holiness  sent  three  times  on  that  day  to  see  if 
the  ring  was  finished. 

At  twenty-three  o’clock  I took  the  ring  to  the  palace ; 
and  since  the  doors  were  always  open  to  me,  I lifted  the 
curtain  gently,  and  saw  the  Pope  in  private  audience  with 
the  Marchese  del  Guasto.^  The  Marquis  must  have  been 
pressing  something  on  the  Pope  which  he  was  unwilling  to 
perform  ; for  I heard  him  say : “I  tell  you,  no  ; it  is  my 
business  to  remain  neutral,  and  nothing  else.”  I was  re- 
tiring as  quickly  as  I could,  when  the  Pope  himself  called 
me  back ; so  I entered  the  room,  and  presented  the  diamond 
ring,  upon  which  he  drew  me  aside,  and  the  Marquis  retired 
to  a distance.  While  looking  at  the  diamond,  the  Pope 
whispered  to  me : “ Benvenuto,  begin  some  conversation 
with  me  on  a subject  which  shall  seem  important,  and  do 
not  stop  talking  so  long  as  the  Marquis  remains  in  this  room.” 
Then  he  took  to  walking  up  and  down  ; and  the  occasion 
making  for  my  advantage,  I was  very  glad  to  discourse 
with  him  upon  the  methods  I had  used  to  tint  the  stone. 
The  Marquis  remained  standing  apart,  leaning  against  a piece 

^ Alfonson  d’Avalos,  successor  and  heir  to  the  famous  Ferdinando  d’Avalos, 
Marquis  of  Pescara.  He  acted  for  many  years  as  Spanish  Viceroy  of  Milan. 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


184 

of  tapestry  ; and  now  he  balanced  himself  about  on  one  foot, 
now  on  the  other.  The  subject  I had  chosen  to  discourse 
upon  was  of  such  importance,  if  fully  treated,  that  I could 
have  talked  about  it  at  least  three  hours.  The  Pope  was 
entertained  to  such  a degree  that  he  forgot  the  annoyance 
of  the  Marquis  standing  there.  I seasoned  what  I had  to 
say  with  that  part  of  natural  philosophy  which  belongs  to 
our  profession  ; and  so  having  spoken  for  near  upon  an  hour, 
the  Marquis  grew  tired  of  waiting,  and  went  off  fuming. 
Then  the  Pope  bestowed  on  me  the  most  familiar  caresses 
which  can  be  imagined,  and  exclaimed  : “ Have  patience,  my 
dear  Benvenuto,  for  I will  give  you  a better  reward  for  your 
virtues  than  the  thousand  crowns  which  Gaio  tells  me  your 
work  is  worth.’’ 

On  this  I took  my  leave  ; and  the  Pope  praised  me  in  the 
presence  of  his  household,  among  whom  was  the  fellow 
Latino  Juvenale,  whom  I have  previously  mentioned.  This 
man,  having  become  my  enemy,  assiduously  strove  to  do  me 
hurt ; and  noticing  that  the  Pope  talked  of  me  with  so  much 
affection  and  warmth,  he  put  in  his  word  : “ There  is  no 
doubt  at  all  that  Benvenuto  is  a person  of  very  remarkable 
genius  ; but  while  every  one  is  naturally  bound  to  feel  more 
goodwill  for  his  own  countrymen  than  for  others,  still  one 
ought  to  consider  maturely  what  language  it  is  right  and 
proper  to  use  when  speaking  of  a Pope.  He  has  had  the 
audacity  to  say  that  Pope  Clement  indeed  was  the  hand- 
somest sovereign  that  ever  reigned,  and  no  less  gifted  ; only 
that  luck  was  always  against  him  : and  he  says  that  your 
Holiness  is  quite  the  opposite  ; that  the  tiara  seems  to  weep 
for  rage  upon  your  head  ; that  j^ou  look  like  a truss  of  straw 
with  clothes  on,  and  that  there  is  nothing  in  you  except  good 
luck.”  These  words,  reported  by  a man  who  knew  most 
excellently  how  to  say  them,  had  such  force  that  they  gained 
credit  with  the  Pope.  Far  from  having  uttered  them,  such 
things  had  never  come  into  my  head.  If  the  Pope  could 
have  done  so  without  losing  credit,  he  would  certainly  have 
taken  fierce  revenge  upon  me  ; but  being  a man  of  great  tact 
and  talent,  he  made  a show  of  turning  it  off  with  a laugh. 
Nevertheless  he  harboured  in  his  heart  a deep  vindictive 
feeling  against  me,  of  which  I was  not  slow  to  be  aware,  since 
I had  no  longer  the  same  easy  access  to  his  apartments 
as  formerly,  but  found  the  greatest  difficulty  in  procuring 


BOOK  FIRST 


185 


audience.  As  I had  now  for  many  years  been  familiar  with 
the  manners  of  the  Roman  court,  I conceived  that  some  one 
had  done  me  a bad  turn  ; and  on  making  dexterous  inquiries, 
I was  told  the  whole,  but  not  the  name  of  my  calumniator.  I 
could  not  imagine  who  the  man  was  ; had  I but  found  him 
out,  my  vengeance  would  not  have  been  measured  by  troy 
weight.^ 


XCIII 

I went  on  working  at  my  book,  and  when  I had  finished 
it  I took  it  to  the  Pope,  who  was  in  good  truth  unable 
to  refrain  from  commending  it  greatly.  I begged  him  to 
send  me  with  it  to  the  Emperor,  as  he  had  promised.  He 
replied  that  he  would  do  what  he  thought  fit,  and  that  I 
had  performed  my  part  of  the  business.  So  he  gave  orders 
that  I should  be  well  paid.  These  two  pieces  of  work, 
on  which  I had  spent  upwards  of  two  months,  brought  me 
in  five  hundred  crowns  : for  the  diamond  I was  paid  one 
hundred  and  fifty  crowns  and  no  more  ; the  rest  was  given 
me  for  the  cover  of  the  book,  which,  however,  was  worth 
more  than  a thousand,  being  enriched  with  multitudes  of 
figures,  arabesques,  enamellings,  and  jewels.  I took  what 
I could  get,  and  made  my  mind  up  to  leave  Rome  without 
permission.  The  Pope  meanwhile  sent  my  book  to  the 
Emperor  by  the  hand  of  his  grandson,  Signor  Sforza.^ 
Upon  accepting  it,  the  Emperor  expressed  great  satisfaction, 
and  immediately  asked  for  me.  Young  Signor  Sforza,  who 
had  received  his  instructions,  said  that  I had  been  prevented 
by  illness  from  coming.  All  this  was  reported  to  me. 

M3^  preparations  for  the  journey  into  France  were  made  ; 
and  I wished  to  go  alone,  but  was  unable  on  account  of  a 
lad  in  my  service  called  Ascanio.  He  was  of  very  tender 
age,  and  the  most  admirable  servant  in  the  world.  When 
I took  him  he  had  left  a former  master,  named  Francesco, 
a Spaniard  and  a goldsmith.  I did  not  much  like  to  take 
him,  lest  I should  get  into  a quarrel  with  the  Spaniard,  and 
said  to  Ascanio  : “ I do  not  want  to  have  you,  for  fear 

^ lo  ne  arei  fatte  vendette  a misura  di  carbone. 

^ Sforza  Sforza,  son  of  Bosio,  Count  of  Santa  Fiore,  and  of  Costanza 
Farnese,  the  Pope’s  natural  daughter.  He  was  a youth  of  sixteen  at  this 
epoch. 


i86 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


of  offending  your  master.”  He  contrived  that  his  master 
should  write  me  a note  informing  me  that  I was  free  to 
take  him.  So  he  had  been  with  me  some  months  ; and 
since  he  came  to  us  both  thin  and  pale  of  face,  we  called 
him  “ the  little  old  man  ; ” indeed  I almost  thought  he  was 
one,  partly  because  he  was  so  good  a servant,  and  partly 
because  he  was  so  clever  that  it  seemed  unlikely  he  should 
have  such  talent  at  thirteen  years,  which  he  affirmed  his  age 
to  be.  Now  to  go  back  to  the  point  from  which  I started, 
he  improved  in  person  during  those  few  months,  and  gain- 
ing in  flesh,  became  the  handsomest  youth  in  Rome.  Being 
the  excellent  servant  which  I have  described,  and  showing 
marvellous  aptitude  for  our  art,  I felt  a warm  and  fatherly 
affection  for  him,  and  kept  him  clothed  as  if  he  had  been 
my  own  son.  When  the  boy  perceived  the  improvement 
he  had  made,  he  esteemed  it  a good  piece  of  luck  that  he 
had  come  into  my  hands  ; and  he  used  frequently  to  go 
and  thank  his  former  master,  who  had  been  the  cause  of 
his  prosperity.  Now  this  man  had  a handsome  young 
woman  to  wife,  who  said  to  him  : “ Surgetto  ” (that  was 
what  they  called  him  when  he  lived  with  them),  “what 
have  you  been  doing  to  become  so  handsome?”  Ascanio 
answered  : “ Madonna  Francesca,  it  is  my  master  who  has 
made  me  so  handsome,  and  far  more  good  to  boot.”  In 
her  petty  spiteful  way  she  took  it  very  ill  that  Ascanio 
should  speak  so ; and  having  no  reputation  for  chastity, 
she  contrived  to  caress  the  lad  more  perhaps  than  was 
quite  seemly,  which  made  me  notice  that  he  began  to  visit 
her  more  frequently  than  his  wont  had  been. 

One  day  Ascanio  took  to  beating  one  of  our  little  shop- 
boys,  who,  when  I came  home  from  out  of  doors,  complained 
to  me  with  tears  that  Ascanio  had  knocked  him  about 
without  any  cause.  Hearing  this,  I said  to  Ascanio : 
“With  cause  or  without  cause,  see  you  never  strike  any 
one  of  my  family,  or  else  Fll  make  you  feel  how  I can 
strike  myself.”  He  bandied  words  with  me,  which  made 
me  jump  on  him  and  give  him  the  severest  drubbing  with 
both  fists  and  feet  that  he  had  ever  felt.  As  soon  as  he 
escaped  my  clutches,  he  ran  away  without  cape  or  cap,  and 
for  two  days  I did  not  know  where  he  was,  and  took  no 
care  to  find  him.  After  that  time  a Spanish  gentleman, 
called  Don  Diego,  came  to  speak  to  me.  He  was  the  most 


BOOK  FIRST 


187 


generous  man  in  the  world.  I had  made,  and  was  making, 
some  things  for  him,  which  had  brought  us  well  acquainted. 
He  told  me  that  Ascanio  had  gone  back  to  his  old  master, 
and  asked  me,  if  I thought  it  proper,  to  send  him  the  cape 
and  cap  which  I had  given  him.  Thereupon  I said  that 
Francesco  had  behaved  badly,  and  like  a low-bred  fellow  ; 
for  if  he  had  told  me,  when  Ascanio  first  came  back  to  him, 
that  he  was  in  his  house,  I should  very  willingly  have  given 
him  leave  ; but  now  that  he  had  kept  him  two  days  without 
informing  me,  I was  resolved  he  should  not  have  him ; 
and  let  him  take  care  that  I do  not  set  eyes  upon  the  lad 
in  his  house.  This  message  was  reported  by  Don  Diego, 
but  it  only  made  Francesco  laugh.  The  next  morning  I 
saw  Ascanio  working  at  some  trifles  in  wire  at  his  master’s 
side.  As  I was  passing  he  bowed  to  me,  and  his  master 
almost  laughed  me  in  the  face.  He  sent  again  to  ask 
through  Don  Diego  whether  I would  not  give  Ascanio 
back  the  clothes  he  had  received  from  me  ; but  if  not,  he 
did  not  mind,  and  Ascanio  should  not  want  for  clothes. 
When  I heard  this,  I turned  to  Don  Diego  and  said  : “ Don 
Diego,  sir,  in  all  your  dealings  you  are  the  most  liberal 
and  worthy  man  I ever  knew  ; but  that  Francesco  is  quite 
the  opposite  of  you  ; he  is  nothing  better  than  a worthless 
and  dishonoured  renegade.  Tell  him  from  me  that  if  he 
does  not  bring  Ascanio  here  himself  to  my  shop  before  the 
bell  for  vespers,  I will  assuredly  kill  him  ; and  tell  Ascanio 
that  if  he  does  not  quit  that  house  at  the  hour  appointed 
for  his  master,  I will  treat  him  much  in  the  same  way.” 
Don  Diego  made  no  answer,  but  went  and  inspired  such 
terror  in  Francesco  that  he  knew  not  what  to  do  with  him- 
self. Ascanio  meanwhile  had  gone  to  find  his  father,  who 
had  come  to  Rome  from  Tagliacozzo,  his  birthplace  ; and 
this  man  also,  when  he  heard  about  the  row,  advised 
Francesco  to  bring  Ascanio  back  to  me.  Francesco  said 
to  Ascanio  : “Go  on  your  own  account,  and  your  father 
shall  go  with  you.”  Don  Diego  put  in  : “ Francesco,  I 
foresee  that  something  very  serious  will  happen  ; you  know 
better  than  I do  what  a man  Benvenuto  is  ; take  the  lad 
back  courageously,  and  Twill  come  with  you.”  I had  pre- 
pared myself,  and  was  pacing  up  and  down  the  shop  waiting 
for  the  bell  to  vespers  ; my  mind  was  made  up  to  do  one 
of  the  bloodiest  deeds  which  I had  ever  attempted  in  my 


i88 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


life.  Just  then  arrived  Don  Diego,  Francesco,  Ascanio, 
and  his  father,  whom  I did  not  know.  When  Ascanio 
entered,  I gazed  at  the  whole  company  with  eyes  of  rage, 
and  Francesco,  pale  as  death,  began  as  follows  : “ See  here, 
I have  brought  back  Ascanio,  whom  I kept  with  me,  not 
thinking  that  I should  offend  3^011.”  Ascanio  added  humbly  : 
“ Master,  pardon  me  ; I am  at  370ur  disposal  here,  to  do 
whatever  you  shall  order.”  Then  I said  : “ Have  you  come 
to  work  out  the  time  you  promised  me  ? ” He  answered 
yes,  and  that  he  meant  never  to  leave  me.  Then  I turned 

and  told  the  shopboy  he  had  beaten  to  hand  him  the 

bundle  of  clothes,  and  said  to  him : “ Here  are  all  the 
clothes  I gave  you  ; take  with  them  your  discharge,  and 
go  where  3^ou  like.”  Don  Diego  stood  astonished  at  this, 
which  was  quite  the  contrary  of  what  he  had  expected  ; 
while  Ascanio  with  his  father  besought  me  to  pardon  and 
take  him  back.  On  my  asking  who  it  was  who  spoke  for 

him,  he  said  it  was  his  father  ; to  whom,  after  many  en- 

treaties, I replied  : “ Because  you  are  his  father,  for  your 
sake  I will  take  him  back.” 


XCIV 

I had  formed  the  resolution,  as  I said  a short  while  back, 
to  go  toward  France  ; partly  because  I saw  that  the  Pope 
did  not  hold  me  in  the  same  esteem  as  formerly,  my  faithful 
service  having  been  besmirched  by  lying  tongues  ; and 
also  because  I feared  lest  those  who  had  the  power  might 
pla3^  me  some  worse  trick.  So  I was  determined  to  seek 
better  fortune  in  a foreign  land,  and  wished  to  leave  Rome 
without  company  or  license.  On  the  eve  of  my  projected 
departure,  I told  my  faithful  friend  Felice  to  make  free  use 
of  all  my  effects  during  my  absence  ; and  in  the  case  of 
my  not  returning,  left  him  everything  I possessed.  Now 
there  was  a Perugian  workman  in  my  employ,  who  had 
helped  me  on  those  commissions  from  the  Pope  ; and  after 
paying  his  wages,  I told  him  he  must  leave  my  service. 
He  begged  me  in  reply  to  let  him  go  with  me,  and  said 
he  would  come  at  his  own  charges  ; if  I stopped  to  work 
for  the  King  of  France,  it  would  certainly  be  better  for  me 
to  have  Italians  by  me,  and  in  particular  such  persons  as 


BOOK  FIRST 


189 


I knew  to  be  capable  of  giving  me  assistance.  His  entreaties 
and  arguments  persuaded  me  to  take  him  on  the  journey 
in  the  manner  he  proposed.  Ascanio,  who  was  present  at 
this  debate,  said,  half  in  tears : “ When  you  took  me  back, 
I said  I wished  to  remain  with  you  my  lifetime,  and  so  I 
have  it  in  my  mind  to  do.”  I told  him  that  nothing  in  the 
world  would  make  me  consent ; but  when  I saw  that  the 
poor  lad  was  preparing  to  follow  on  foot,  I engaged  a horse 
for  him  too,  put  a small  valise  upon  the  crupper,  and  loaded 
myself  with  far  more  useless  baggage  than  I should  other- 
wise have  taken.^ 

From  home  I travelled  to  Florence,  from  Florence  to 
Bologna,  from  Bologna  to  Venice,  and  from  Venice  to 
Padua.  There  my  dear  friend  Albertaccio  del  Bene  made 
me  leave  the  inn  for  his  house  ; and  next  day  I went  to 
kiss  the  hand  of  Messer  Pietro  Bembo,  who  was  not  yet 
a Cardinal.^  He  received  me  with  marks  of  the  warmest 
affection  which  could  be  bestowed  on  any  man  ; then 
turning  to  Albertaccio,  he  said : “I  want  Benvenuto  to 
stay  here,  with  all  his  followers,  even  though  they  be 

a hundred  men  ; make  then  your  mind  up,  if  you  want 

Benvenuto  also,  to  stay  here  with  me,  for  I do  not  mean 
elsewise  to  let  you  have  him.”  Accordingly  I spent  a 
very  pleasant  visit  at  the  house  of  that  most  accomplished 
gentleman.  He  had  a room  prepared  for  me  which  would 
have  been  too  grand  for  a cardinal,  and  always  insisted  on 

my  taking  my  meals  beside  him.  Later  on,  he  began  to 

hint  in  very  modest  terms  that  he  should  greatly  like  me 
to  take  his  portrait.  I,  who  desired  nothing  in  the  world 
more,  prepared  some  snow-white  plaster  in  a little  box, 
and  set  to  work  at  once.  The  first  day  I spent  two  hours 
on  end  at  my  modelling,  and  blocked  out  the  fine  head  of 
that  eminent  man  with  so  much  grace  of  manner  that  his 
lordship  was  fairly  astounded.  Now,  though  he  was  a 
man  of  profound  erudition  and  without  a rival  in  poetry, 
he  understood  nothing  at  all  about  my  art  ; this  made  him 
think  that  I had  finished  when  I had  hardly  begun,  so  that 

^ He  left  Rome,  April  i,  1537. 

2 I need  hardly  say  that  this  is  the  Bembo  who  ruled  over  Italian  literature 
like  a dictator  from  the  reign  of  Leo  X.  onwards.  He  was  of  a noble  Venetian 
house  ; Paul  III.  made  him  Cardinal  in  1539.  He  died,  aged  seventy-seven, 
in  1547. 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


190 

I could  not  make  him  comprehend  what  a long  time  it  took 
to  execute  a thing  of  that  sort  thoroughly.  At  last  I re- 
solved to  do  it  as  well  as  I was  able,  and  to  spend  the 
requisite  time  upon  it ; but  since  he  wore  his  beard  short 
after  the  Venetian  fashion,  I had  great  trouble  in  modelling 
a head  to  my  own  satisfaction.  However,  I finished  it, 
and  judged  it  about  the  finest  specimen  I had  produced 
in  all  the  points  pertaining  to  my  art.  Great  was  the 
astonishment  of  Messer  Pietro,  who  conceived  that  I should 
have  completed  the  waxen  model  in  two  hours  and  the 
steel  in  ten,  when  he  found  that  I employed  two  hundred 
on  the  wax,  and  then  was  begging  for  leave  to  pursue 
my  journey  toward  France.  This  threw  him  into  much 
concern,  and  he  implored  me  at  least  to  design  the  reverse 
for  his  medal,  which  was  to  be  a Pegasus  encircled  with 
a wreath  of  myrtle.  I performed  my  task  in  the  space 
of  some  three  hours,  and  gave  it  a fine  air  of  elegance. 
He  was  exceedingly  delighted,  and  said  : “ This  horse 
seems  to  me  ten  times  more  difficult  to  do  than  the  little 
portrait  on  which  you  have  bestowed  so  much  pains.  I 
cannot  understand  what  made  it  such  a labour.”  All  the 
same,  he  kept  entreating  me  to  execute  the  piece  in  steel, 
exclaiming  : “ For  Heaven’s  sake,  do  it  ; I know  that,  if 
you  choose,  you  will  get  it  quickly  finished.”  I told  him 
that  I was  not  willing  to  make  it  there,  but  promised 
without  fail  to  take  it  in  hand  wherever  I might  stop  to 
work. 

While  this  debate  was  being  carried  on  I went  to 
bargain  for  three  horses  which  I wanted  on  my  travels  ; 
and  he  took  care  that  a secret  watch  should  be  kept  over 
my  proceedings,  for  he  had  vast  authority  in  Padua ; 
wherefore,  when  I proposed  to  pay  for  the  horses,  which 
were  to  cost  five  hundred  ducats,  their  owner  answered  : 
“ Illustrious  artist,  I make  you  a present  of  the  three 
horses.”  I replied : “ It  is  not  you  who  give  them  me  ; 
and  from  the  generous  donor  I cannot  accept  them,  seeing 
I have  been  unable  to  present  him  with  any  specimen  of 
my  craft.”  The  good  fellow  said  that,  if  I did  not  take 
them,  I should  get  no  other  horses  in  Padua,  and  should 
have  to  make  my  journey  on  foot.  Upon  that  I returned 
to  the  magnificent  Messer  Pietro,  who  affected  to  be  igno- 
rant of  the  affair,  and  only  begged  me  with  marks  of 


BOOK  FIRST 


191 

kindness  to  remain  in  Padua.  This  was  contrary  to  my 
intention,  for  I had  quite  resolved  to  set  out ; therefore  I 
had  to  accept  the  three  horses,  and  with  them  we  began 
our  journey. 

xcv 

I chose  the  route  through  the  Orisons,  all  other  passes 
being  unsafe  on  account  of  war.  We  crossed  the  moun- 
tains of  the  Alba  and  Berlina  ; it  was  the  8th  of  May,  and 
the  snow  upon  them  lay  in  masses.^  At  the  utmost  hazard 
of  our  lives  we  succeeded  in  surmounting  those  two  Alpine 
ridges  ; and  when  they  had  been  traversed,  we  stopped  at 
a place  which,  if  I remember  rightly,  is  called  Valdista. 
There  we  took  up  quarters,  and  at  nightfall  there  arrived 
a Florentine  courier  named  Busbacca.  I had  heard  him 
mentioned  as  a man  of  character  and  able  in  his  profession, 
but  I did  not  know  that  he  had  forfeited  that  reputation 
by  his  rogueries.  When  he  saw  me  in  the  hostelry,  he 
addressed  me  by  my  name,  said  he  was  going  on  business 
of  importance  to  Lyons,  and  entreated  me  to  lend  him 
money  for  the  journey.  I said  I had  no  money  to  lend, 
but  that  if  he  liked  to  join  me,  I would  pay  his  expenses 
as  far  as  Lyons.  The  rascal  wept,  and  wheedled  me  with 
a long  story,  saying  : “ If  a poor  courier  employed  on  affairs 
of  national  consequence  has  fallen  short  of  money,  it  is  the 
duty  of  a man  like  you  to  assist  him.’’  Then  he  added 
that  he  was  carrying  things  of  the  utmost  importance  from 
Messer  Filippo  Strozzi ; ^ and  showing  me  a leather  case 
for  a cup  he  had  with  him,  whispered  in  my  ear  that  it 
held  a goblet  of  silver  which  contained  jewels  to  the  value 
of  many  thousands  of  ducats,  together  with  letters  of  vast 
consequence,  sent  by  Messer  Filippo  Strozzi.  I told  him 
that  he  ought  to  let  me  conceal  the  jewels  about  his  own 
person,  which  would  be  much  less  dangerous  than  carrying 
them  in  the  goblet  ; he  might  give  that  up  to  me,  and,  its 
value  being  probably  about  ten  crowns,  I would  supply 

1 I have  retained  Cellini’s  spelling  of  names  upon  this  journey.  He  passed 
the  Bernina  and  Albula  mountains,  descended  the  valley  of  the  Rhine  to 
Wallenstadt,  travelled  by  Weesen  and  probably  Glarus  to  Lachen  and  Zurich, 
thence  to  Solothurn,  Lausanne,  Geneva,  Lyons. 

2 Filippo  Strozzi  was  leader  of  the  anti-Medicean  party,  now  in  exile.  He 
fell  into  the  hands  of  Duke  Cosimo  on  the  ist  of  August  in  this  year,  1537. 


192 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


him  with  twenty- five  on  the  security.  To  these  words  the 
courier  replied  that  he  would  go  with  me,  since  he  could 
not  do  otherwise,  for  to  give  up  the  goblet  would  not  be 
to  his  honour. 

Accordingly  we  struck  the  bargain  so ; and  taking  horse 
next  morning,  came  to  a lake  between  Valdistate  and 
Vessa ; it  is  fifteen  miles  long  when  one  reaches  Vessa. 
On  beholding  the  boats  upon  that  lake  I took  fright  ; 
because  they  are  of  pine,  of  no  great  size  and  no  great 
thickness,  loosely  put  together,  and  not  even  pitched.  If 
I had  not  seen  four  German  gentlemen,  with  their  four 
horses,  embarking  in  one  of  the  same  sort  as  ours,  I should 
never  have  set  my  foot  in  it ; indeed  I should  far  more 
likely  have  turned  tail  ; but  when  I saw  their  hare-brained 
recklessness,  I took  it  into  my  head  that  those  German 
waters  would  not  drown  folk,  as  ours  do  in  Ital3^  How- 
ever, my  two  young  men  kept  saying  to  me  : “ Benvenuto, 
it  is  surely  dangerous  to  embark  in  this  craft  with  four 
horses.’^  I replied:  “You  cowards,  do  you  not  observe 
how  those  four  gentlemen  have  taken  boat  before  us,  and 
are  going  on  their  way  with  laughter  ? If  this  were  wine, 
as  indeed  ’tis  water,  I should  say  that  they  were  going 
gladly  to  drown  themselves  in  it ; but  as  it  is  but  water,  I 
know  well  that  they  have  no  more  pleasure  than  we  have 
in  drowning  there.’’  The  lake  was  fifteen  miles  long  and 
about  three  broad  ; on  one  side  rose  a mountain  very  tall 
and  cavernous,  on  the  other  some  flat  land  and  grassy. 
When  we  had  gone  about  four  miles,  it  began  to  storm 
upon  the  lake,  and  our  oarsmen  asked  us  to  help  in 
rowing  ; this  we  did  awhile.  I made  gestures  and  directed 
them  to  land  us  on  the  farther  shore  ; they  said  it  was  not 
possible,  because  there  was  not  depth  of  water  for  the 
boat,  and  there  were  shoals  there,  which  would  make  it 
go  to  pieces  and  drown  us  all  ; and  still  they  kept  on  urging 
us  to  help  them.  The  boatmen  shouted  one  to  the  other, 
calling  for  assistance.  When  I saw  them  thus  dismayed, 
my  horse  being  an  intelligent  animal,  I arranged  the  bridle 
on  his  neck  and  took  the  end  of  the  halter  with  my  left 
hand.  The  horse,  like  most  of  his  kind,  being  not  devoid 
of  reason,  seemed  to  have  an  instinct  of  my  intention  ; for 
having  turned  his  face  towards  the  fresh  grass,  I meant 
that  he  should  swim  and  draw  me  after  him.  Just  at  that 


\[p:i)ALLiox — The  Triumph  of  Chaki.es  V. 

V^atican. 


Candelabra. 

S.  Maria  di  Carignano,  Genoa. 


. ’ .1’ 
I 


i 


BOOK  FIRST 


193 


moment  a great  wave  broke  over  the  boat.  Ascanio 
shrieked  out  : “ Mercy,  my  father  ; save  me,’^  and  wanted 
to  throw  himself  upon  my  neck.  Accordingly,  I laid  hand 
to  my  little  dagger,  and  told  them  to  do  as  I had  shown 
them,  seeing  that  the  horses  would  save  their  lives  as  well 
as  I too  hoped  to  escape  with  mine  by  the  same  means  ; 
but  that  if  he  tried  to  jump  on  me,  I should  kill  him.  So 
we  went  forward  several  miles  in  this  great  peril  of  our 
lives. 


XCVI 

When  we  had  reached  the  middle  of  the  lake,  we  found 
a little  bit  of  level  ground  where  we  could  land,  and  I saw 
that  those  four  German  gentlemen  had  already  come  to 
shore  there  ; but  on  our  wishing  to  disembark,  the  boat- 
men would  hear  nothing  of  it.  Then  I said  to  my  young 
men : “ Now  is  the  time  to  show  what  stuff  we  are  made 
of ; so  draw  your  swords,  and  force  these  fellows  to  put 
us  on  shore.”  This  we  did,  not  however  without  difficulty, 
for  they  offered  a stubborn  resistance.  When  at  last  we 
got  to  land,  we  had  to  climb  that  mountain  for  two  miles, 
and  it  was  more  troublesome  than  getting  up  a ladder.  I 
was  completely  clothed  in  mail,  with  big  boots,  and  a gun 
in  my  hand  ; and  it  was  raining  as  though  the  fountains  of 
the  heavens  were  opened.  Those  devils,  the  German  gentle- 
men, leading  their  little  horses  by  the  bridle,  accomplished 
miracles  of  agility  ; but  our  animals  were  not  up  to  the 
business,  and  we  burst  with  the  fatigue  of  making  them 
ascend  that  hill  of  difficulty.  We  had  climbed  a little  way, 
when  Ascanio’s  horse,  an  excellent  beast  of  Hungarian  race, 
made  a false  step.  He  was  going  a few  paces  before  the 
courier  Busbacca,  to  whom  Ascanio  had  given  his  lance  to 
carry  for  him.  Well,  the  path  was  so  bad  that  the  horse 
stumbled,  and  went  on  scrambling  backwards,  without  being 
able  to  regain  his  footing,  till  he  stuck  upon  the  point  of 
the  lance,  which  that  rogue  of  a courier  had  not  the  wit  to 
keep  out  of  his  way.  The  weapon  passed  right  through 
his  throat ; and  when  my  other  workman  went  to  help  him, 
his  horse  also,  a black-coloured  animal,  slipped  towards  the 
lake,  and  held  on  by  some  shrub  which  offered  but  a slight 
support.  This  horse  was  carrying  a pair  of  saddle-bags, 


194 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


which  contained  all  money  and  other  valuables.  I 
cried  out  to  the  young  man  to  save  his  own  life,  and  let 
the  horse  go  to  the  devil.  The  fall  was  more  than  a mile 
of  precipitous  descent  above  the  waters  of  the  lake.  Just 
below  the  place  our  boatmen  had  taken  up  their  station  ; 
so  that  if  the  horse  fell,  he  would  have  come  precisely  on 
them.  I was  ahead  of  the  whole  company,  and  we  waited 
to  see  the  horse  plunge  headlong  ; it  seemed  certain  that 
he  must  go  to  perdition.  During  this  I said  to  my  young 
men  : “ Be  under  no  concern  ; let  us  save  our  lives,  and 
give  thanks  to  God  for  all  that  happens.  I am  only  dis- 
tressed for  that  poor  fellow  Busbacca,  who  tied  his  goblet 
and  his  jewels  to  the  value  of  several  thousands  of  ducats 
on  the  horse’s  saddle-bow,  thinking  that  the  safest  place. 
My  things  are  but  a few  hundred  crowns,  and  I am  in 
no  fear  whatever,  if  only  I get  God’s  protection.”  Then 
Busbacca  cried  out : “I  am  not  sorry  for  my  own  loss,  but 
for  yours.”  “ Why,”  said  I to  him,  “ are  you  sorry  for 
my  trifles,  and  not  for  all  that  property  of  yours  ? ” He 
answered  : “ I will  tell  you  in  God’s  name  ; in  these  cir- 
cumstances and  at  the  point  of  peril  we  have  reached,  truth 
must  be  spoken.  I know  that  yours  are  crowns,  and  are 
so  in  good  sooth  ; but  that  case  in  which  I said  I had 
so  many  jewels  and  other  lies,  is  all  full  of  caviare.”  On 
hearing  this  I could  not  hold  from  laughing  ; my  young 
men  laughed  too  ; and  he  began  to  cry.  The  horse  extri- 
cated itself  by  a great  effort  when  we  had  given  it  up  for 
lost.  So  then,  still  laughing,  we  summoned  our  forces, 
and  bent  ourselves  to  making  the  ascent.  The  four 
German  gentlemen,  having  gained  the  top  before  us,  sent 
down  some  folk  who  gave  us  aid.  Thus  at  length  we 
reached  our  lodging  in  the  wilderness.  Here,  being  wet 
to  the  skin,  tired  out,  and  famished,  we  were  most  agreeably 
entertained ; we  dried  ourselves,  took  rest,  and  satisfied 
our  hunger,  while  certain  wild  herbs  were  applied  to  the 
wounded  horse.  They  pointed  out  to  us  the  plant  in 
question,  of  which  the  hedges  were  full  ; and  we  were  told 
that  if  the  wound  was  kept  continually  plugged  with  its 
leaves,  the  beast  would  not  only  recover,  but  would  serve 
us  just  as  if  it  had  sustained  no  injury.  We  proceeded  to 
do  as  they  advised.  Then  having  thanked  those  gentle- 
men, and  feeling  ourselves  entirely  refreshed,  we  quitted  the 


BOOK  FIRST 


195 

place,  and  travelled  onwards,  thanking  God  for  saving  us 
from  such  great  perils. 

XCVII 

We  reached  a town  beyond  Vessa,  where  we  passed  the 
night,  and  heard  a watchman  through  all  the  hours  singing 
very  agreeably  ; for  all  the  houses  of  that  city  being  built 
of  pine  wood,  it  was  the  watchman’s  only  business  to  warn 
folk  against  fire.  Busbacca’s  nerves  had  been  quite  shaken 
by  the  day’s  adventures  ; accordingly,  each  hour  when  the 
watchman  sang,  he  called  out  in  his  sleep  : “ Ah  God,  I am 
drowning  ! ” That  was  because  of  the  fright  he  had  had  ; 
and  besides,  he  had  got  drunk  in  the  evening,  because  he 
would  sit  boozing  with  all  the  Germans  who  were  there  ; 
and  sometimes  he  cried  : “ I am  burning,”  and  sometimes  : 
“I  am  drowning;”  and  at  other  times  he  thought  he  was 
in  hell,  and  tortured  with  that  caviare  suspended  round  his 
throat. 

This  night  was  so  amusing,  that  it  turned  all  our  troubles 
into  laughter.  In  the  morning  we  rose  with  very  fine 
weather,  and  went  to  dine  in  a smiling  little  place  called 
Lacca.  Here  we  obtained  excellent  entertainment,  and 
then  engaged  guides,  who  were  returning  to  a town  called 
Surich.  The  guide  who  attended  us  went  along  the  dyked 
bank  of  a lake  ; there  was  no  other  road  ; and  the  dyke 
itself  was  covered  with  water,  so  that  the  reckless  fellow 
slipped,  and  fell  together  with  his  horse  beneath  the  water. 
I,  who  was  but  a few  steps  behind  him,  stopped  my  horse, 
and  waited  to  see  the  donkey  get  out  of  the  water.  Just  as 
if  nothing  had  happened,  he  began  to  sing  again,  and  made 
signs  to  me  to  follow.  I broke  away  upon  the  right  hand, 
and  got  through  some  hedges,  making  my  young  men  and 
Busbacca  take  that  way.  The  guide  shouted  in  German 
that  if  the  folk  of  those  parts  saw  me  they  would  put  me  to 
death.  However,  we  passed  forward,  and  escaped  that  other 
storm. 

So  we  arrived  at  Surich,  a marvellous  city,  bright  and 
polished  like  a little  gem.  There  we  rested  a whole  day, 
then  left  betimes  one  morning,  and  reached  another  fair 
city  called  Solutorno.  Thence  we  came  to  Usanna,  from 
Usanna  to  Ginevra,  from  Ginevra  to  Lione,  always  singing 


196 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


and  laughing.  At  Lione  I rested  four  days,  and  had  much 
pleasant  intercourse  with  some  of  my  friends  there ; I was 
also  repaid  what  I had  spent  upon  Busbacca ; afterwards 
I set  out  upon  the  road  to  Paris.  This  was  a delightful 
journey,  except  that  when  we  reached  Palissa^a  band  of 
venturers  tried  to  murder  us,'-^  and  it  was  only  by  great 
courage  and  address  that  we  got  free  from  them.  From 
that  point  onward  we  travelled  to  Paris  without  the  least 
trouble  in  the  world.  Always  singing  and  laughing,  we 
arrived  safely  at  our  destination. 


XCVIII 

After  taking  some  repose  in  Paris,  I went  to  visit  the 
painter  Rosso,  who  was  in  the  King’s  service.  I thought 
to  find  in  him  one  of  the  sincerest  friends  I had  in  the 
world,  seeing  that  in  Rome  I had  done  him  the  greatest 
benefits  which  one  man  can  confer  upon  another.  As 
these  may  be  described  briefly,  I will  not  here  omit  their 
mention,  in  order  to  expose  the  shamelessness  of  such  in- 
gratitude. While  he  was  in  Rome,  then,  being  a man 
given  to  backbiting,  he  spoke  so  ill  of  Raffaello  da  Urbino’s 
works,  that  the  pupils  of  the  latter  were  quite  resolved  to 
murder  him.  From  this  peril  I saved  him  by  keeping  a 
close  watch  upon  him  day  and  night.  Again,  the  evil  things 
said  by  Rosso  against  San  Gallo,^  that  excellent  architect, 
caused  the  latter  to  get  work  taken  from  him  which  he 
had  previously  procured  for  him  from  Messer  Agnolo  da 
Cesi  ; and  after  this  San  Gallo  used  his  influence  so  strenu- 
ously against  him  that  he  must  have  been  brought  to  the 
verge  of  starvation,  had  not  I pitied  his  condition  and  lent 
him  some  scores  of  crowns  to  live  upon.  So  then,  not 
having  been  repaid,  and  knowing  that  he  held  employment 
under  the  King,  I went,  as  I have  said,  to  look  him  up.  I 
did  not  merely  expect  him  to  discharge  his  debt,  but  also 
to  show  me  favour  and  assist  in  placing  me  in  that  great 
monarch’s  service. 

1 La  Palice. 

- Cellini,  in  the  narrative  of  his  second  French  journey,  explains  that  these 
veMtiirieri  were  a notable  crew  of  very  daring  brigands  in  the  Lyonese 
province. 

3 Antonio  da  San  Gallo,  one  of  the  best  architects  of  the  later  Renaissance. 


BOOK  FIRST 


197 


When  Rosso  set  eyes  on  me,  his  countenance  changed 
suddenly,  and  he  exclaimed  : “ Benvenuto,  you  have  taken 
this  long  journey  at  great  charges  to  your  loss  ; especially 
at  this  present  time,  when  all  men’s  thoughts  are  occupied 
with  war,  and  not  with  the  bagatelles  of  our  profession.”  I 
replied  that  I had  brought  money  enough  to  take  me  back 
to  Rome  as  I had  come  to  Paris,  and  that  this  was  not  the 
proper  return  for  the  pains  I had  endured  for  him,  and 
that  now  I began  to  believe  what  Maestro  Antonio  da  San 
Gallo  said  of  him.  When  he  tried  to  turn  the  matter  into 
jest  on  this  exposure  of  his  baseness,  I showed  him  a letter 
of  exchange  for  five  hundred  crowns  upon  Ricciardo  del 
Bene.  Then  the  rascal  was  ashamed,  and  wanted  to  detain 
me  almost  by  force  ; but  I laughed  at  him,  and  took  my 
leave  in  the  company  of  a painter  whom  I found  there. 
This  man  was  called  Sguazzella  : ^ he  too  was  a Florentine  ; 
and  I went  to  lodge  in  his  house,  with  three  horses  and 
three  servants,  at  so  much  per  week.  He  treated  me  very 
well,  and  was  even  better  paid  by  me  in  return. 

Afterwards  I sought  audience  of  the  King,  through  the 
introduction  of  his  treasurer,  Messer  Giuliano  Buonaccorti.^ 
I met,  however,  with  considerable  delays,  owing,  as  I did 
not  then  know,  to  the  strenuous  exertions  Rosso  made 
against  my  admission  to  his  Majesty.  When  Messer  Giuliano 
became  aware  of  this,  he  took  me  down  at  once  to  Fontana 
Bilio,^  and  brought  me  into  the  presence  of  the  King,  who 
granted  me  a whole  hour  of  very  gracious  audience.  Since 
he  was  then  on  the  point  of  setting  out  for  Lyons,  he 
told  Messer  Giuliano  to  take  me  with  him,  adding  that  on 
the  journey  we  could  discuss  some  works  of  art  his  Majesty 
had  it  in  his  head  to  execute.  Accordingly,  I followed  the 
court ; and  on  the  way  I entered  into  close  relations  with 
the  Cardinal  of  Ferrara,  who  had  not  at  that  period 
obtained  the  hat.^  Every  evening  I used  to  hold  long 
conversations  with  the  Cardinal,  in  the  course  of  which  his 
lordship  advised  me  to  remain  at  an  abbey  of  his  in 

^ A pupil  of  Andrea  del  Sarto,  who  went  with  him  to  France  and  settled  there. 

2 A Florentine  exile  mentioned  by  Varchi. 

^ Fontainebleau.  Cellini  always  writes  it  as  above. 

^ Ippolito  d’Este,  son  of  Alfonso,  Duke  of  Ferrara ; Archbishop  of  Milan 
at  the  age  of  fifteen ; Cardinal  in  1539  ; spent  a large  part  of  his  life  in 
France. 


198 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


Lyons,  and  there  to  abide  at  ease  until  the  King  returned 
from  this  campaign,  adding  that  he  was  going  on  to 
Grenoble,  and  that  I should  enjoy  every  convenience  in 
the  abbey. 

When  we  reached  Lyons  I was  already  ill,  and  my  lad 
Ascanio  had  taken  a quartan  fever.  The  French  and  their 
court  were  both  grown  irksome  to  me,  and  I counted  the 
hours  till  I could  find  myself  again  in  Rome.  On  seeing 
my  anxiety  to  return  home,  the  Cardinal  gave  me  money 
sufficient  for  making  him  a silver  bason  and  jug.  So  we 
took  good  horses,  and  set  our  faces  in  the  direction  of 
Rome,  passing  the  Simplon,  and  travelling  for  some  while 
in  the  company  of  certain  Frenchmen  ; Ascanio  troubled 
by  his  quartan,  and  I by  a slow  fever  which  I found  it 
quite  impossible  to  throw  off.  I had,  moreover,  got  my 
stomach  out  of  order  to  such  an  extent,  that  for  the  space 
of  four  months,  as  I verily  believe,  I hardly  ate  one  whole 
loaf  of  bread  in  the  week ; and  great  was  my  longing  to 
reach  Italy,  being  desirous  to  die  there  rather  than  in 
France. 


XCIX 

When  we  had  crossed  the  mountains  of  the  Simplon,  we 
came  to  a river  near  a place  called  Indevedro.^  It  was 
broad  and  very  deep,  spanned  by  a long  narrow  bridge 
without  ramparts.  That  morning  a thick  white  frost  had 
fallen  ; and  when  I reached  the  bridge,  riding  before  the 
rest,  I recognised  how  dangerous  it  was,  and  bade  my 
servants  and  young  men  dismount  and  lead  their  horses. 
So  I got  across  without  accident,  and  rode  on  talking  with 
one  of  the  Frenchmen,  whose  condition  was  that  of  a 
gentleman.  The  other,  who  was  a scrivener,  lagged  a little 
way  behind,  jeering  the  French  gentleman  and  me  because 
we  had  been  so  frightened  by  nothing  at  all  as  to  give  our- 
selves the  trouble  of  walking.  I turned  round,  and  seeing 
him  upon  the  middle  of  the  bridge,  begged  him  to  come 
gently,  since  the  place  was  very  dangerous.  The  fellow, 
true  to  his  French  nature,  cried  out  in  French  that  I was 
a man  of  poor  spirit,  and  that  there  was  no  danger 


Probably  the  Doveria  in  the  Valdivedro. 


BOOK  FIRST 


199 


whatsoever.  While  he  spoke  these  words  and  urged  his 
horse  forward,  the  animal  suddenly  slipped  over  the  bridge, 
and  fell  with  legs  in  air  close  to  a huge  rock  there  was 
there.  Now  God  is  very  often  merciful  to  madmen  ; so  the 
two  beasts,  human  and  equine,  plunged  together  into  a deep 
wide  pool,  where  both  of  them  went  down  below  the 
water.  On  seeing  what  had  happened,  I set  off  running 
at  full  speed,  scrambled  with  much  difficulty  on  to  the 
rock,  and  dangling  over  from  it,  seized  the  skirt  of  the 
scrivener’s  gown  and  pulled  him  up,  for  he  was  still  sub- 
merged beneath  the  surface.  He  had  drunk  his  bellyful  of 
water,  and  was  within  an  ace  of  being  drowned.  I then, 
beholding  him  out  of  danger,  congratulated  the  man  upon 
my  having  been  the  means  of  rescuing  his  life.  The  fellow 
to  this  answered  me  in  French,  that  I had  done  nothing  ; 
the  important  things  to  save  were  his  writings,  worth 
many  scores  of  crowns  ; and  these  words  he  seemed  to  say 
in  anger,  dripping  wet  and  spluttering  the  while.  There- 
upon, I turned  round  to  our  guides,  and  ordered  them  to 
help  the  brute,  adding  that  I would  see  them  paid.  One  of 
them  with  great  address  and  trouble  set  himself  to  the  busi- 
ness, and  picked  up  all  the  fellow’s  writings,  so  that  he  lost 
not  one  of  them  ; the  other  guide  refused  to  trouble  himself 
by  rendering  any  assistance. 

I ought  here  to  say  that  we  had  made  a purse  up, 
and  that  I performed  the  part  of  paymaster.  So,  when  we 
reached  the  place  I mentioned,  and  had  dined,  I drew  some 
coins  from  the  common  purse  and  gave  them  to  the  guide 
who  helped  to  draw  him  from  the  water.  Thereupon  the 
fellow  called  out  that  I might  pay  them  out  of  my  own 
pocket ; he  had  no  intention  of  giving  the  man  more  than 
what  had  been  agreed  on  for  his  services  as  guide.  Upon 
this  I retorted  with  insulting  language.  Then  the  other 
guide,  who  had  done  nothing,  came  up  and  demanded  to  be 
rewarded  also.  I told  him  that  the  one  who  had  borne 
the  cross  deserved  the  recompense.  He  cried  out  that  he 
would  presently  show  me  a cross  which  should  make  me 
repent.  I replied  that  I would  light  a candle  at  that  cross, 
which  should,  I hoped,  make  him  to  be  the  first  to  weep 
his  folly.  The  village  we  were  in  lay  on  the  frontier 
between  Venice  and  the  Germans.  So  the  guide  ran  off 
to  bring  the  folk  together,  and  came,  followed  by  a crowd, 


200 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


with  a boar- spear  in  his  hand.  Mounted  on  my  good 
steed,  I lowered  the  barrel  of  my  arquebuse,  and  turning 
to  my  comrades,  cried:  “At  the  first  shot  I shall  bring 
that  fellow  down  ; do  you  likewise  your  duty,  for  these  are 
highway  robbers,  who  have  used  this  little  incident  to  con- 
trive our  murder.”  The  innkeeper  at  whose  house  we  had 
dined  called  one  of  the  leaders,  an  imposing  old  man,  and 
begged  him  to  put  a stop  to  the  disorder,  saying  : “ This  is 
a most  courageous  young  man  ; you  may  cut  him  to  pieces, 
but  he  will  certainly  kill  a lot  of  you,  and  perhaps  will 
escape  your  hands  after  doing  all  the  mischief  he  is  able.” 
So  matters  calmed  down  : and  the  old  man,  their  leader, 
said  to  me  : “ Go  in  peace  ; you  would  not  have  much  to 
boast  of  against  us,  even  if  you  had  a hundred  men  to  back 
you.”  I recognised  the  truth  of  his  words,  and  had  indeed 
made  up  my  mind  to  die  among  them  ; therefore,  when 
no  further  insults  were  cast  at  me,  I shook  my  head  and 
exclaimed : “I  should  certainly  have  done  my  utmost  to 
prove  I am  no  statue,  but  a man  of  flesh  and  spirit.” 
Then  we  resumed  our  journey  ; and  that  evening,  at  the 
first  lodging  we  came  to,  settled  our  accounts  together. 
There  I parted  for  ever  from  that  beast  of  a Frenchman, 
remaining  on  very  friendly  terms  with  the  other,  who  was 
a gentleman.  Afterwards  I reached  Ferrara,  with  my  three 
horses  and  no  other  company. 

Having  dismounted,  I went  to  court  in  order  to  pay  my 
reverence  to  the  Duke,  and  gain  permission  to  depart  next 
morning  for  Loreto.  When  I had  waited  until  two  hours 
after  nightfall,  his  Excellency  appeared.  I kissed  his 
hands  ; he  received  me  with  much  courtesy,  and  ordered 
that  water  should  be  brought  for  me  to  wash  my  hands 
before  eating.  To  this  compliment  I made  a pleasant 
answer  : “ Most  excellent  lord,  it  is  now  more  than  four 
months  that  I have  eaten  only  just  enough  to  keep  life 
together ; knowing  therefore  that  I could  not  enjoy  the 
delicacies  of  your  royal  table,  I will  stay  and  talk  with  you 
while  your  Excellency  is  supping ; in  this  way  we  shall 
both  have  more  pleasure  than  if  I were  to  sup  with  you.” 
Accordingly,  we  entered  into  conversation,  and  prolonged  it 
for  the  next  three  hours.  At  that  time  I took  my  leave,  and 
when  I got  back  to  the  inn,  found  a most  excellent  meal 
ready  ; for  the  Duke  had  sent  me  the  plates  from  his  own 


BOOK  FIRST 


201 


banquet,  together  with  some  famous  wine.  Having  now 
fasted  two  full  hours  beyond  my  usual  hour  for  supping,  I 
fell  to  with  hearty  appetite  ; and  this  was  the  first  time 
since  four  months  that  I felt  the  power  or  will  to  eat. 


C 

Leaving  Ferrara  in  the  morning,  I went  to  Santa  Maria 
at  Loreto ; and  thence,  having  performed  my  devotions, 
pursued  the  journey  to  Rome.  There  I found  my  most 
faithful  Felice,  to  whom  I abandoned  my  old  shop  with  all 
its  furniture  and  appurtenances,  and  opened  another,  much 
larger  and  roomier,  next  to  Sugherello,  the  perfumer.  I 
thought  for  certain  that  the  great  King  Francis  would  not 
have  remembered  me.  Therefore  I accepted  commissions 
from  several  noblemen  ; and  in  the  meanwhile  began  the 
bason  and  jug  ordered  by  the  Cardinal  of  Ferrara.  I had 
a crowd  of  workmen,  and  many  large  affairs  on  hand  in 
gold  and  silver. 

Now  the  arrangement  I had  made  with  that  Perugian 
workman  1 was  that  he  should  write  down  all  the  monies 
which  had  been  disbursed  on  his  account,  chiefly  for  clothes 
and  divers  other  sundries  ; and  these,  together  with  the 
costs  of  travelling,  amounted  to  about  seventy  crowns.  We 
agreed  that  he  should  discharge  the  debt  by  monthly  pay- 
ments of  three  crowns  ; and  this  he  was  well  able  to  do, 
since  he  gained  more  than  eight  through  me.  At  the  end 
of  two  months  the  rascal  decamped  from  my  shop,  leaving 
me  in  the  lurch  with  a mass  of  business  on  my  hands,  and 
saying  that  he  did  not  mean  to  pay  me  a farthing  more. 
I was  resolved  to  seek  redress,  but  allowed  myself  to  be 
persuaded  to  do  so  by  the  way  of  justice.  At  first  I 
thought  of  lopping  off  an  arm  of  his  ; and  assuredly  I 
should  have  done  so,  if  my  friends  had  not  told  me  that 
it  was  a mistake,  seeing  I should  lose  my  money  and 
perhaps  Rome  too  a second  time,  forasmuch  as  blows 
cannot  be  measured,  and  that  with  the  agreement  I held  of 
his  I could  at  any  moment  have  him  taken  up.  I listened 
to  their  advice,  though  I should  have  liked  to  conduct  the 


^ In  his  Ricordi  Cellini  calls  the  man  Girolamo  Pascucci. 


202 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


affair  more  freely.  As  a matter  of  fact,  I sued  him  before 
the  auditor  of  the  Camera,  and  gained  my  suit  ; in  conse- 
quence of  that  decree,  for  which  I waited  several  months, 
I had  him  thrown  into  prison.  At  the  same  time  I was 
overwhelmed  with  large  commissions  ; among  others,  I had 
to  supply  all  the  ornaments  of  gold  and  jewels  for  the  wife 
of  Signor  Gierolimo  Orsino,  father  of  Signor  Paolo,  who  is 
now  the  son-in-law  of  our  Duke  Cosimo.^  These  things  I 
had  nearly  finished  ; yet  others  of  the  greatest  consequence 
were  always  coming  in.  I employed  eight  work-people, 
and  worked  day  and  night  together  with  them,  for  the  sake 
alike  of  honour  and  of  gain. 


Cl 

While  I was  engaged  in  prosecuting  my  affairs  with  so 
much  vigour,  there  arrived  a letter  sent  post-haste  to  me 
by  the  Cardinal  of  Ferrara,  which  ran  as  follows  : — • 

Benvenuto,  our  dear  friend, — During  these  last  days  the 
most  Christian  King  here  made  mention  of  you,  and  said  that 
he  should  like  to  have  you  in  his  service.  Whereto  I answered 
that  you  had  promised  me,  whenever  I sent  for  you  to  serve 
his  Majesty,  that  you  would  come  at  once.  His  Majesty  then 
answered  : ‘ It  is  my  will  that  provision  for  his  journey, 

according  to  his  merits,  should  be  sent  him  ; ' and  immediately 
ordered  his  Admiral  to  make  me  out  an  order  for  one  thousand 
golden  crowns  upon  the  treasurer  of  the  Exchequer.  The 
Cardinal  de*  Gaddi,  who  was  present  at  this  conversation, 
advanced  immediately,  and  told  his  Majesty  that  it  was  not 
necessary  to  make  these  dispositions,  seeing  that  he  had  sent 
you  money  enough,  and  that  you  were  already  on  the  journey. 
If  then,  as  I think  probable,  the  facts  are  quite  contrary  to  those 
assertions  of  Cardinal  Gaddi,  reply  to  me  without  delay  upon 
the  receipt  of  this  letter ; for  I will  undertake  to  gather  up  the 
fallen  thread,  and  have  the  promised  money  given  you  by  this 
magnanimous  King.” 

^ He  was  Duke  of  Bracciano,  father  of  Duke  Paolo,  who  married  Isabella 
de’  Medici,  and  murdered  her  before  his  second  marriage  with  Vittoria 
Accoramboni.  See  my  Renaissance  in  Italy,  vol.  vi. 


BOOK  FIRST 


203 


Now  let  the  world  take  notice,  and  all  the  folk  that  dwell 
on  it,  what  power  malignant  stars  with  adverse  fortune 
exercise  upon  us  human  beings  ! I had  not  spoken  twice 
in  my  lifetime  to  that  little  simpleton  of  a Cardinal  de’ 
Gaddi  ; nor  do  I think  that  he  meant  by  this  bumptious- 
ness of  his  to  do  me  any  harm,  but  only,  through  light- 
headedness and  senseless  folly,  to  make  it  seem  as  though 
he  also  held  the  affairs  of  artists,  whom  the  King  was 
wanting,  under  his  own  personal  supervision,  just  as  the 
Cardinal  of  Ferrara  did.  But  afterwards  he  was  so  stupid 
as  not  to  tell  me  anything  at  all  about  the  matter  ; else- 
wise,  it  is  certain  that  my  wish  to  shield  a silly  mannikin 
from  reproach,  if  only  for  our  country’s  sake,  would  have 
made  me  find  out  some  excuse  to  mend  the  bungling  of 
his  foolish  self-conceit. 

Immediately  upon  the  receipt  of  Cardinal  Ferrara’s 
letter,  I answered  that  about  Cardinal  de’  Gaddi  I knew 
absolutely  nothing,  and  that  even  if  he  had  made  overtures 
of  that  kind  to  me,  I should  not  have  left  Italy  without 
informing  his  most  reverend  lordship.  I also  said  that  I 
had  more  to  do  in  Rome  than  at  any  previous  time  ; but 
that  if  his  Most  Christian  Majesty  made  sign  of  wanting 
me,  one  word  of  his,  communicated  by  so  great  a prince 
as  his  most  reverend  lordship,  would  suffice  to  make  me 
set  off  upon  the  spot,  leaving  all  other  concerns  to  take 
their  chance. 

After  I had  sent  my  letter,  that  traitor,  the  Perugian 
workman,  devised  a piece  of  malice  against  me,  which 
succeeded  at  once,  owing  to  the  avarice  of  Pope  Paolo  da 
Farnese,  but  also  far  more  to  that  of  his  bastard,  who  was 
then  called  Duke  of  Castro.^  The  fellow  in  question  in- 
formed one  of  Signor  Pier  Luigi’s  secretaries  that,  having 
been  with  me  as  workman  several  years,  he  was  acquainted 
with  all  my  affairs,  on  the  strength  of  which  he  gave  his 
word  to  Signor  Pier  Luigi  that  I was  worth  more  than 
eighty  thousand  ducats,  and  that  the  greater  part  of  this 
property  consisted  in  jewels,  which  jewels  belonged  to  the 
Church,  and  that  I had  stolen  them  in  Castel  Sant’  Agnolo 
during  the  sack  of  Rome,  and  that  all  they  had  to  do  was 
to  catch  me  on  the  spot  with  secrecy. 


^ He  had  been  invested  with  the  Duchy  of  Castro  in  1537. 


204 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


It  so  happened  that  I had  been  at  work  one  morning, 
more  than  three  hours  before  daybreak,  upon  the  trousseau 
of  the  bride  I mentioned  ; then,  while  my  shop  was  being 
opened  and  swept  out,  I put  my  cape  on  to  go  abroad  and 
take  the  air.  Directing  my  steps  along  the  Strada  Giulia, 
I turned  into  Chiavica,  and  at  this  corner  Crespino,  the 
Bargello,  with  all  his  constables,  made  up  to  me,  and  said : 
“You  are  the  PopeN  prisoner.’’  I answered:  “Crespino, 
you  have  mistaken  your  man.”  “ No,”  said  Crespino, 
“you  are  the  artist  Benvenuto,  and  I know  you  well,  and 
I have  to  take  you  to  the  Castle  of  Sant’  Angelo,  where 
lords  go,  and  men  of  accomplishments,  your  peers.”  Upon 
that  four  of  his  under-officers  rushed  on  me,  and  would 
have  seized  by  force  a dagger  which  I wore,  and  some 
rings  I carried  on  my  linger  ; but  Crespino  rebuked  them  : 
“Not  a man  of  you  shall  touch  him  : it  is  quite  enough 
if  you  perform  your  duty,  and  see  that  he  does  not  escape 
me.”  Then  he  came  up,  and  begged  me  with  words  of 
courtesy  to  surrender  my  arms.  While  I was  engaged  in 
doing  this,  it  crossed  my  mind  that  exactly  on  that  very 
spot  I had  assassinated  Pompeo.  They  took  me  straight- 
way to  the  castle,  and  locked  me  in  an  upper  chamber  in 
the  keep.  This  was  the  first  time  that  I ever  smelt  a 
prison  up  to  the  age  I then  had  of  thirty- seven  years. 


CII 

Signor  Pier  Luigi,  the  Pope’s  son,  had  well  considered 
the  large  sum  for  which  I stood  accused ; so  he  begged 
the  reversion  of  it  from  his  most  holy  father,  and  asked 
that  he  might  have  the  money  made  out  to  himself. 
The  Pope  granted  this  willingly,  adding  that  he  would 
assist  in  its  recovery.  Consequently,  after  having  kept  me 
eight  whole  days  in  prison,  they  sent  me  up  for  examina- 
tion, in  order  to  put  an  end  if  possible  to  the  affair.  I 
was  summoned  into  one  of  the  great  halls  of  the  papal 
castle,  a place  of  much  dignity.  My  examiners  were,  first, 
the  Governor  of  Rome,  called  Messer  Benedetto  Conver- 
sini  of  Pistoja,!  who  afterwards  became  Bishop  of  Jesi ; 


^ Bishop  of  Forlimpopoli  in  I537»  and  of  Jesi  in  1540- 


BOOK  FIRST 


205 


secondly,  the  Procurator- Fiscal,  whose  name  I have 
forgotten  and,  thirdly,  the  judge  in  criminal  cases, 
Messer  Benedetto  da  Cagli.  These  three  men  began  at 
first  to  question  me  in  gentle  terms,  which  afterwards 
they  changed  to  words  of  considerable  harshness  and 
menace,  apparently  because  I said  to  them : “ My  lords, 
it  is  more  than  half- an -hour  now  since  you  have  been 
pestering  me  with  questions  about  fables  and  such  things, 
so  that  one  may  truly  say  you  are  chattering  or  prattling  ; 
by  chattering  I mean  talking  without  reason,  by  prattling 
I mean  talking  nonsense  : therefore  I beg  you  to  tell  me 
what  it  really  is  you  want  of  me,  and  to  let  me  hear  from 
your  lips  reasonable  speech,  and  not  jabberings  or  non- 
sense/’ In  reply  to  these  words  of  mine,  the  Governor, 
who  was  a Pistojan,  could  no  longer  disguise  his  furious 
temper,  and  began:  “You  talk  very  confidently,  or  rather 
far  too  arrogantly ; but  let  me  tell  you  that  I will  bring 
your  pride  down  lower  than  a spaniel  by  the  words  of 
reason  you  shall  hear  from  me ; these  will  be  neither 
jabberings  nor  nonsense,  as  you  have  it,  but  shall  form  a 
chain  of  arguments  to  answer  which  you  will  be  forced  to 
tax  the  utmost  ot  your  wits.”  Then  he  began  to  speak  as 
follows : “ We  know  for  certain  that  you  were  in  Rome 
at  the  time  when  this  unhappy  city  was  subject  to  the 
calamity  of  the  sack  ; at  that  time  you  were  in  this  Castle 
of  Sant’  Angelo,  and  were  employed  as  bombardier. 
Now  since  you  are  a jeweller  and  goldsmith  by  trade. 
Pope  Clement,  being  previously  acquainted  with  you,  and 
having  by  him  no  one  else  of  your  profession,  called  you 
into  his  secret  counsels,  and  made  you  unset  all  the  jewels 
of  his  tiaras,  mitres,  and  rings ; afterwards,  having  con- 
fidence in  you,  he  ordered  you  to  sew  them  into  his 
clothes.  While  thus  engaged,  you  sequestered,  unknown 
to  his  Holiness,  a portion  of  them,  to  the  value  of  eighty 
thousand  crowns.  This  has  been  told  us  by  one  of  your 
workmen,  to  whom  you  disclosed  the  matter  in  your 
braggadocio  way.  Now,  we  tell  you  frankly  that  you  must 
find  the  jewels,  or  their  value  in  money : after  that  we 
will  release  you.” 


^ Benedetto  Valenti. 


2o6 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


cm 

When  I heard  these  words,  I could  not  hold  from  burst- 
ing  into  a great  roar  of  laughter  ; then,  having  laughed  a 
while,  I said  : “ Thanks  be  to  God  that  on  this  first  occa- 
sion, when  it  has  pleased  His  Divine  Majesty  to  imprison 
me,  I should  not  be  imprisoned  for  some  folly,  as  the  wont 
is  usually  with  young  men.  If  what  you  say  were  the 
truth,  I run  no  risk  of  having  to  submit  to  corporal  punish- 
ment, since  the  authority  of  the  law  was  suspended  during 
that  season.  Indeed,  I could  excuse  myself  by  saying 
that,  like  a faithful  servant,  I had  kept  back  treasure  to 
that  amount  for  the  sacred  and  holy  Apostolic  Church, 
waiting  till  I could  restore  it  to  a good  Pope,  or  else  to 
those  who  might  require  it  of  me  ; as,  for  instance,  you 
might,  if  this  were  verily  the  case.”  When  I had  spoken 
so  far,  the  furious  Governor  would  not  let  me  conclude  my 
argument,  but  exclaimed  in  a burst  of  rage : “ Interpret 
the  affair  as  you  like  best,  Benvenuto  ; it  is  enough  for  us 
to  have  found  the  property  which  we  had  lost ; be  quick 
about  it,  if  you  do  not  want  us  to  use  other  measures  than 
words.”  Then  they  began  to  rise  and  leave  the  chamber  ; 
but  I stopped  them,  crying  out : “ My  lords,  my  examination 
is  not  over  ; bring  that  to  an  end,  and  go  then  where  you 
choose.”  They  resumed  their  seats  in  a very  angry  temper, 
making  as  though  they  did  not  mean  to  listen  to  a word  I 
said,  and  at  the  same  time  half  relieved,^  as  though  they 
had  discovered  all  they  wanted  to  know.  I then  began 
my  speech,  to  this  effect:  “You  are  to  know,  my  lords, 
that  it  is  now  some  twenty  years  since  I first  came  to 
Rome,  and  I have  never  been  sent  to  prison  here  or  else- 
where.” On  this  that  catchpoll  of  a Governor  called  out : 
“ And  yet  you  have  killed  men  enough  here  ! ” I replied  : 
“ It  is  you  that  sa}^  it,  and  not  I ; but  if  some  one  came  to 
kill  you,  priest  as  you  are,  you  would  defend  yourself,  and 
if  you  killed  him,  the  sanctity  of  law  would  hold  you  justi- 
fied. Therefore  let  me  continue  my  defence,  if  you  wish 
to  report  the  case  to  the  Pope,  and  to  judge  me  fairly. 
Once  more  I tell  you  that  I have  been  a sojourner  in  this 
marvellous  city  Rome  for  nigh  on  twenty  years,  and  here 

^ Sollevati.  It  may  mean  half-risen  from  their  seats. 


BOOK  FIRST 


207 


I have  exercised  my  art  in  matters  of  vast  importance. 
Knowing  that  this  is  the  seat  of  Christ,  I entertained  the 
reasonable  belief  that  when  some  temporal  prince  sought  to 
inflict  on  me  a mortal  injury,  I might  have  recourse  to  this 
holy  chair  and  to  this  Vicar  of  Christ,  in  confidence  that 
he  would  surely  uphold  my  cause.  Ah  me  ! whither  am  I 
now  to  go  ? What  prince  is  there  who  will  protect  me 
from  this  infamous  assassination  ? Was  it  not  your  busi- 
ness, before  you  took  me  up,  to  find  out  what  I had  done 
with  those  eighty  thousand  ducats  ? Was  it  not  your  duty 
to  inspect  the  record  of  the  jewels,  which  have  been  care- 
fully inscribed  by  this  Apostolic  Camera  through  the  last 
five  hundred  years  ? If  you  had  discovered  anything 
missing  on  that  record,  then  you  ought  to  have  seized  all 
my  books  together  with  myself.  I tell  you  for  a certainty 
that  the  registers,  on  which  are  written  all  the  jewels  of 
the  Pope  and  the  regalia,  must  be  perfectly  in  order ; you 
will  not  find  there  missing  a single  article  of  value  which 
belonged  to  Pope  Clement  that  has  not  been  minutely 
noted.  The  one  thing  of  the  kind  which  occurs  to  me  is 
this  : When  that  poor  man  Pope  Clement  wanted  to  make 
terms  with  those  thieves  of  the  Imperial  army,  who  had 
robbed  Rome  and  insulted  the  Church,  a certain  Cesare 
Iscatinaro,  if  I rightly  remember  his  name,  came  to 
negotiate  with  him  ; ^ and  having  nearly  concluded  the 
agreement,  the  Pope  in  his  extremity,  to  show  the  man 
some  mark  of  favour,  let  fall  a diamond  from  his  finger, 
which  was  worth  about  four  thousand  crowns,  and  when 
Iscatinaro  stooped  to  pick  it  up,  the  Pope  told  him  to  keep 
it  for  his  sake.  I was  present  at  these  transactions  : and 
if  the  diamond  of  which  I speak  be  missing,  I have  told 
you  where  it  went ; but  I have  the  firmest  conviction  that 
you  will  find  even  this  noted  upon  the  register.  After 
this  you  may  blush  at  your  leisure  for  having  done  such 
cruel  injustice  to  a man  like  me,  who  has  performed  so 
many  honourable  services  for  the  apostolic  chair.  I would 
have  you  to  know  that,  but  for  me,  the  morning  when  the 
Imperial  troops  entered  the  Borgo,  they  would  without  let 

^ Gio.  Bartolommeo  di  Gattinara.  Raffaello  da  Montelupo,  in  his  Auto- 
biography, calls  him  Cattinaro,  and  relates  how  “when  he  came  one  day  into 
the  castle  to  negotiate  a treaty,  he  was  wounded  in  the  arm  by  one  of  our 
arquebusiers.”  This  confirms  what  follows  above. 


2o8 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


or  hindrance  have  forced  their  way  into  the  castle.  It  was 
I who,  unrewarded  for  this  act,  betook  myself  with  vigour 
to  the  guns  which  had  been  abandoned  by  the  cannoneers 
and  soldiers  of  the  ordnance.  I put  spirit  into  my  comrade 
Raffaello  da  Montelupo,  the  sculptor,  who  had  also  left  his 
post  and  hid  himself  all  frightened  in  a corner,  without 
stirring  foot  or  finger  ; I woke  his  courage  up,  and  he  and 
I alone  together  slew  so  many  of  the  enemies  that  the 
soldiers  took  another  road.  I it  was  who  shot  at  Iscatinaro 
when  I saw  him  talking  to  Pope  Clement  without  the 
slightest  mark  of  reverence,  nay,  with  the  most  revolting 
insolence,  like  the  Lutheran  and  infidel  he  was.  Pope 
Clement  upon  this  had  the  castle  searched  to  find  and 
hang  the  man  who  did  it.  ^ I it  was  who  wounded  the 
Prince  of  Orange  in  the  head  down  there  below  the 
trenches  of  the  castle.  Then,  too,  how  many  ornaments 
of  silver,  gold,  and  jewels,  how  many  models  and  coins, 
so  beautiful  and  so  esteemed,  have  I not  made  for  Ploly 
Church  ! Is  this  then  the  presumptuous  priestly  recom- 
pense you  give  a man  who  has  served  and  loved  you  with 
such  loyalty,  with  such  mastery  of  art  ? Oh,  go  and 
report  the  whole  that  I have  spoken  to  the  Pope  ; go  and 
tell  him  that  his  jewels  are  all  in  his  possession  ; that  I 
never  received  from  the  Church  anything  but  wounds  and 
stonings  at  that  epoch  of  the  sack  ; that  I never  reckoned 
upon  any  gain  beyond  some  small  remuneration  from  Pope 
Paolo,  which  he  had  promised  me.  Now  at  last  I know 
what  to  think  of  his  Holiness  and  you  his  Ministers.’^ 
While  I was  delivering  this  speech,  they  sat  and  listened 
in  astonishment.  Then  exchanging  glances  one  with  the 
other,  and  making  signs  of  much  surprise,  they  left  me. 
All  three  went  together  to  report  what  I had  spoken  to 
the  Pope.  The  Pope  felt  some  shame,  and  gave  orders 
that  all  the  records  of  the  jewels  should  be  diligently 
searched.  When  they  had  ascertained  that  none  were 
missing,  they  left  me  in  the  castle  without  saying  a word 
more  about  it.  Signor  Pier  Luigi  felt  also  that  he  had 
acted  ill ; and  to  end  the  affair,  they  set  about  to  contrive 
my  death. 


BOOK  FIRST 


209 


CIV 

During  the  agitations  of  this  time  which  I have  just 
related,  King  Francis  received  news  of  how  the  Pope  was 
keeping  me  in  prison,  and  with  what  injustice.  He  had 
sent  a certain  gentleman  of  his,  named  Monsignor  di  Morluc, 
as  his  ambassador  to  Rome ; ^ to  him  therefore  he  now 
wrote,  claiming  me  from  the  Pope  as  the  man  of  his 
Majesty.  The  Pope  was  a person  of  extraordinary  sense 
and  ability,  but  in  this  affair  of  mine  he  behaved  weakly 
and  unintelligently ; for  he  made  answer  to  the  King^s 
envoy  that  his  Majesty  need  pay  me  no  attention,  since  I 
was  a fellow  who  gave  much  trouble  by  fighting  ; therefore 
he  advised  his  Majesty  to  leave  me  alone,  adding  that  he 
kept  me  in  prison  for  homicides  and  other  devilries  which 
I had  played.  To  this  the  King  sent  answer  that  justice 
in  his  realm  was  excellently  maintained  ; for  even  as  his 
Majesty  was  wont  to  shower  rewards  and  favours  upon 
men  of  parts  and  virtue,  so  did  he  ever  chastise  the  trouble- 
some. His  Holiness  had  let  me  go,  not  caring  for  the 
service  of  the  said  Benvenuto,  and  the  King,  when  he  saw 
him  in  his  realm,  most  willingly  adopted  him  ; therefore 
he  now  asked  for  him  in  the  quality  of  his  own  man. 
Such  a demand  was  certainly  one  of  the  most  honourable 
marks  of  favour  which  a man  of  my  sort  could  desire  ; yet 
it  proved  the  source  of  infinite  annoyance  and  hurt  to  me. 
The  Pope  was  roused  to  such  fury  by  the  jealous  fear  he 
had  lest  I should  go  and  tell  the  whole  world  how  in- 
famously I had  been  treated,  that  he  kept  revolving  ways 
in  which  I might  be  put  to  death  without  injury  to  his 
own  credit. 

The  castellan  of  Sant^  Angelo  was  one  of  our  Florentines, 
called  Messer  Giorgio,  a knight  of  the  Ugolini  family.^ 
This  worthy  man  showed  me  the  greatest  courtesy,  and 
let  me  go  free  about  the  castle  on  parole.  He  was  well 
aware  how  greatly  I had  been  wronged ; and  when  I 

1 Jean  de  Montluc,  brother  of  the  celebrated  Marshal,  Bishop  of  Valence, 
a friend  of  Margaret  of  Navarre,  and,  like  her,  a protector  of  the  Huguenots. 
He  negotiated  the  election  of  the  Duke  of  Anjou  to  the  throne  of  Poland. 

“ It  is  only  known  of  this  man  that  he  was  a Knight  of  Jerusalem,  and  had 
been  Commendatore  of  Prato  in  1511. 


O 


210 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


wanted  to  give  security  for  leave  to  walk  about  the  castle, 
he  replied  that  though  he  could  not  take  that,  seeing  the 
Pope  set  too  much  importance  upon  my  affair,  yet  he 
would  frankly  trust  my  word,  because  he  was  informed  by 
every  one  what  a worthy  man  I was.  So  I passed  my 
parole,  and  he  granted  me  conveniences  for  working  at  my 
trade.  I then,  reflecting  that  the  Pope’s  anger  against  me 
must  subside,  as  well  because  of  my  innocence  as  because 
of  the  favour  shown  me  by  the  King,  kept  my  shop  in 
Rome  open,  while  Ascanio,  my  prentice,  came  to  the  castle 
and  brought  me  things  to  work  at.  I could  not  indeed  do 
much,  feeling  myself  imprisoned  so  unjustly  ; 3^et  I made  a 
virtue  of  necessity,  and  bore  my  adverse  fortune  with  as 
light  a heart  as  I was  able. 

I had  secured  the  attachment  of  all  the  guards  and 
many  soldiers  of  the  castle.  Now  the  Pope  used  to  come 
at  times  to  sup  there,  and  on  those  occasions  no  watch  was 
kept,  but  the  place  stood  open  like  an  ordinary  palace. 
Consequently,  while  the  Pope  was  there,  the  prisoners  used 
to  be  shut  up  with  great  precautions  ; none  such,  however, 
were  taken  with  me,  who  had  the  license  to  go  where  I 
liked,  even  at  those  times,  about  its  precincts.  Often  then 
those  soldiers  told  me  that  I ought  to  escape,  and  that  they 
would  aid  and  abet  me,  knowing  as  they  did  how  greatly 
I had  been  wronged.  I answered  that  I had  given  my 

parole  to  the  castellan,  who  was  such  a worthy  man,  and 

had  done  me  such  kind  offices.  One  very  brave  and 
clever  soldier  used  to  say  to  me : “ My  Benvenuto,  you 
must  know  that  a prisoner  is  not  obliged,  and  cannot  be 
obliged,  to  keep  faith,  any  more  than  aught  else  which 
befits  a free  man.  Do  what  I tell  you  ; escape  from  that 

rascal  of  a Pope  and  that  bastard  his  son,  for  both  are 

bent  on  having  your  life  by  villainy.”  I had,  however, 
made  my  mind  up  rather  to  lose  my  life  than  to  break  the 
promise  I had  given  that  good  man  the  castellan.  So  I 
bore  the  extreme  discomforts  of  my  situation,  and  had  for 
companion  of  misery  a friar  of  the  Palavisina  house,  who 
was  a very  famous  preacher.^ 

^ Cellini  means  Pallavicini.  Nothing  seems  to  be  known  about  him,  except 
that  his  imprisonment  is  mentioned  in  a letter  of  Caro’s  under  date  1540. 


BOOK  FIRST 


2II 


cv  ^ 

This  man  had  been  arrested  as  a Lutheran.  He  was  an 
excellent  companion  ; but,  from  the  point  of  view  of  his 
religion,  I found  him  the  biggest  scoundrel  in  the  world, 
to  whom  all  kinds  of  vices  were  acceptable.  His  fine  in- 
tellectual qualities  won  my  admiration  ; but  I hated  his 
dirty  vices,  and  frankly  taxed  him  with  them.  This  friar 
kept  perpetually  reminding  me  that  I was  in  no  wise  bound 
to  observe  faith  with  the  castellan,  since  I had  become  a 
prisoner.  I replied  to  these  arguments  that  he  might  be 
speaking  the  truth  as  a friar,  but  that  as  a man  he  spoke 
the  contrary  ; for  every  one  who  called  himself  a man,  and 
not  a monk,  was  bound  to  keep  his  word  under  all  circum- 
stances in  which  he  chanced  to  be.  I therefore,  being  a 
man,  and  not  a monk,  was  not  going  to  break  the  simple 
and  loyal  word  which  I had  given.  Seeing  then  that  he 
could  not  sap  my  honour  by  the  subtle  and  ingenious 
sophistries  he  so  eloquently  developed,  the  friar  hit  upon 
another  way  of  tempting  me.  He  allowed  some  days  to 
pass,  during  which  he  read  me  the  sermons  of  Fra  Jerolimo 
Savonarola  ; and  these  he  expounded  with  such  lucidity 
and  learning  that  his  comment  was  even  finer  than  the  text. 
I remained  in  ecstasies  of  admiration  ; and  there  was 
nothing  in  the  world  I would  not  have  done  for  him, 
except,  as  I have  said,  to  break  my  promised  word.  When 
he  saw  the  effect  his  talents  had  produced  upon  my  mind, 
he  thought  of  yet  another  method.  Cautiously  he  began  to 
ask  what  means  I should  have  taken,  supposing  my  jailors 
had  locked  me  up,  in  order  to  set  the  dungeon  doors  open 
and  effect  my  flight.  I then,  who  wanted  to  display  the 
sharpness  of  my  own  wits  to  so  ingenious  a man,  replied 
that  I was  quite  sure  of  being  able  to  open  the  most  baffling 
locks  and  bars,  far  more  those  of  our  prison,  to  do  which 
would  be  the  same  to  me  as  eating  a bit  of  new  cheese. 
In  order  then  to  gain  my  secret,  the  friar  now  made  light 
of  these  assertions,  averring  that  persons  who  have  gained 
some  credit  by  their  abilities,  are  wont  to  talk  big  of  things 
which,  if  they  had  to  put  their  boasts  in  action,  would 
speedily  discredit  them,  and  much  to  their  dishonour.  Him- 
self had  heard  me  speak  so  far  from  the  truth,  that  he  was 


212 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


inclined  to  think  I should,  when  pushed  to  proof,  end  in  a 
dishonourable  failure.  Upon  this,  feeling  myself  stung  to 
the  quick  by  that  devil  of  a friar,  I responded  that  I always 
made  a practice  of  promising  in  words  less  than  I could 
perform  in  deeds  ; what  I had  said  about  the  keys  was  the 
merest  trifle ; in  a few  words  I could  make  him  understand 
that  the  matter  was  as  I had  told  it  ; then,  all  too  heed- 
lessly, I demonstrated  the  facility  with  which  my  assertions 
could  be  carried  into  act.  He  affected  to  pay  little  atten- 
tion ; but  all  the  same  he  learned  my  lesson  well  by  heart 
with  keen  intelligence. 

As  I have  said  above,  the  worthy  castellan  let  me  roam 
at  pleasure  over  the  whole  fortress.  Not  even  at  night  did 
he  lock  me  in,  as  was  the  custom  with  the  other  prisoners. 
Moreover,  he  allowed  me  to  employ  myself  as  I liked  best, 
with  gold  or  silver  or  with  wax  according  to  my  whim. 
So  then  I laboured  several  weeks  at  the  bason  ordered  by 
Cardinal  Ferrara,  but  the  irksomeness  of  my  imprisonment 
bred  in  me  a disgust  for  such  employment,  and  I took  to 
modelling  in  wax  some  little  figures  of  my  fancy,  for  mere 
recreation.  Of  the  wax  which  I used,  the  friar  stole  a 
piece  ; and  with  this  he  proceeded  to  get  false  keys  made, 
upon  the  method  I had  heedlessly  revealed  to  him.  He 
had  chosen  for  his  accomplice  a registrar  named  Luigi,  a 
Paduan,  who  was  in  the  castellan’s  service.  When  the 
keys  were  ordered,  the  locksmith  revealed  their  plot  ; and 
the  castellan,  who  came  at  times  to  see  me  in  my  chamber, 
noticing  the  wax  which  I was  using,  recognised  it  at  once 
and  exclaimed  : “ It  is  true  that  this  poor  fellow  Benvenuto 
has  suffered  a most  grievous  wrong  ; yet  he  ought  not  to 
have  dealt  thus  with  me,  for  I have  ever  strained  my  sense 
of  right  to  show  him  kindness.  Now  I shall  keep  him 
straitly  under  lock  and  key,  and  shall  take  good  care  to  do 
him  no  more  service.”  Accordingly,  he  had  me  shut  up 
with  disagreeable  circumstances,  among  the  worst  of  which 
were  the  words  flung  at  me  by  some  of  his  devoted  servants, 
who  were  indeed  extremely  fond  of  me,  but  now,  on  this 
occasion,  cast  in  my  teeth  all  the  kind  offices  the  castellan 
had  done  me  ; they  came,  in  fact,  to  calling  me  ungrateful, 
light,  and  disloyal.  One  of  them  in  particular  used  those 
injurious  terms  more  insolently  than  was  decent  ; where 
upon  I,  being  convinced  of  my  innocence,  retorted  hotly 


BOOK  FIRST 


213 


that  I had  never  broken  faith,  and  would  maintain  these 
words  at  the  peril  of  my  life,  and  that  if  he  or  any  of  his 
fellows  abused  me  so  unjustly,  I would  fling  the  lie  back  in 
his  throat.  The  man,  intolerant  of  my  rebuke,  rushed  to 
the  castellan’s  room,  and  brought  me  the  wax  with  the 
model  of  the  keys.  No  sooner  had  I seen  the  wax  than  I 
told  him  that  both  he  and  I were  in  the  right ; but  I begged 
him  to  procure  for  me  an  audience  with  the  castellan,  for  I 
meant  to  explain  frankly  how  the  matter  stood,  which  was 
of  far  more  consequence  than  they  imagined.  The  castellan 
sent  for  me  at  once,  and  I told  him  the  whole  course  of 
events.  This  made  him  arrest  the  friar,  who  betrayed  the 
registrar,  and  the  latter  ran  a risk  of  being  hanged.  How- 
ever, the  castellan  hushed  the  affair  up,  although  it  had 
reached  the  Pope’s  ears  ; he  saved  his  registrar  from  the 
gallows,  and  gave  me  the  same  freedom  as  I had  before. 


CVI 

When  I saw  how  rigorously  this  affair  was  prosecuted,  I 
began  to  think  of  my  own  concerns,  and  said : “ Supposing 
another  of  these  storms  should  rise,  and  the  man  should 
lOse  confidence  in  me,  I should  then  be  under  no  obligation 
to  him,  and  might  wish  to  use  my  wits  a little,  which  would 
certainly  work  their  end  better  than  those  of  that  rascally 
friar.”  So  I began  to  have  new  sheets  of  a coarse  fabric 
brought  me,  and  did  not  send  the  dirty  ones  away.  When 
my  servants  asked  for  them,  I bade  them  hold  their 
tongues,  saying  I had  given  the  sheets  to  some  of  those 
poor  soldiers  ; and  if  the  matter  came  to  knowledge,  the 
wretched  fellows  ran  risk  of  the  galleys.  This  made  my 
young  men  and  attendants,  especially  Felice,  keep  the  secret 
of  the  sheets  in  all  loyalty.  I meanwhile  set  myself  to 
emptying  a straw  mattress,  the  stuffing  of  which  I burned, 
having  a chimney  in  my  prison.  Out  of  the  sheets  I cut 
strips,  the  third  of  a cubit  in  breadth  ; and  when  I had 
made  enough  in  my  opinion  to  clear  the  great  height  of 
the  central  keep  of  Sant’  Agnolo,  I told  my  servants  that  I 
had  given  away  what  I wanted  ; they  must  now  bring  me 
others  of  a finer  fabric,  and  I would  always  send  back  the 
dirty  ones.  This  affair  was  presently  forgotten. 


214 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


Now  my  workpeople  and  serving- men  were  obliged  to 
close  my  shop  at  the  order  of  the  Cardinals  Santi  Quattro^ 
and  Cornaro,  who  told  me  openly  that  the  Pope  would  not 
hear  of  setting  me  at  large,  and  that  the  great  favours 
shown  me  by  King  Francis  had  done  far  more  harm  than 
good.  It  seems  that  the  last  words  spoken  from  the  King 
by  Monsignor  di  Morluc  had  been  to  this  effect,  namely, 
that  the  Pope  ought  to  hand  me  over  to  the  ordinary  judges 
of  the  court ; if  I had  done  wrong,  he  could  chastise  me  ; 
but  otherwise,  it  was  but  reason  that  he  should  set  me  at 
liberty.  This  message  so  irritated  the  Pope  that  he  made 
his  mind  up  to  keep  me  a prisoner  for  life.  At  the  same 
time,  the  castellan  most  certainly  did  his  utmost  to  assist  me. 

When  my  enemies  perceived  that  my  shop  was  closed,  they 
lost  no  opportunity  of  taunting  and  reviling  those  servants 
and  friends  of  mine  who  came  to  visit  me  in  prison.  It 
happened  on  one  occasion  that  Ascanio,  who  came  twice  a 
day  to  visit  me,  asked  to  have  a jacket  cut  out  for  him  from 
a blue  silk  vest  of  mine  I never  used.  I had  only  worn  it 
once,  on  the  occasion  when  I walked  in  procession.  I re- 
plied that  these  were  not  the  times  nor  was  I in  the  place 
to  wear  such  clothes.  The  young  man  took  my  refusal  of 
this  miserable  vest  so  ill  that  he  told  me  he  wanted  to  go 
home  to  Tagliacozzo.  All  in  a rage,  I answered  that  he 
could  not  please  me  better  than  by  taking  himself  off  ; and 
he  swore  with  passion  that  he  would  never  show  his  face 
to  me  again.  When  these  words  passed  between  us,  we 
were  walking  round  the  keep  of  the  castle.  It  happened 
that  the  castellan  was  also  taking  the  air  there  ; so  just 
when  we  met  his  lordship  Ascanio  said  : “I  am  going  away  ; 
farewell  for  ever  ! ” I added  : “For  ever,  is  my  wish  too  ; 
and  thus  in  sooth  shall  it  be.  I shall  tell  the  sentinels  not 
to  let  you  pass  again  ! ” Then,  turning  to  the  castellan,  I 
begged  him  with  all  my  heart  to  order  the  guards  to  keep 
Ascanio  out,  adding  : “ This  little  peasant  comes  here  to  add 
to  my  great  trouble  ; I entreat  you,  therefore,  my  lord,  not  to 
let  him  enter  any  more.”  The  castellan  was  much  grieved, 
because  he  knew  him  to  be  a lad  of  marvellous  talents  ; he 
was,  moreover,  so  fair  of  person  that  every  one  who  once  set 
eyes  on  him  seemed  bound  to  love  him  beyond  measure. 


^ Antonio  Pucci,  a Florentine,  Cardinal  de’  Quattro  Santi  Coronati. 


BOOK  FIRST 


215 


The  boy  went  away  weeping.  That  day  he  had  with 
him  a small  scimitar,  which  it  was  at  times  his  wont  to 
carry  hidden  beneath  his  clothes.  Leaving  the  castle  then, 
and  having  his  face  wet  with  tears,  he  chanced  to  meet  two 
of  my  chief  enemies,  Jeronimo  the  Perugian,^  and  a certain 
Michele,  goldsmiths  both  of  them.  Michele,  being  Jero- 
nimo’s friend  and  Ascanio’s  enemy,  called  out : “ What  is 
Ascanio  crying  for  ? Perhaps  his  father  is  dead  ; I mean 
that  father  in  the  castle  ! ” Ascanio  answered  on  the  instant  : 
“ He  is  alive,  but  you  shall  die  this  minute.”  Then,  raising 
his  hand,  he  struck  two  blows  with  the  scimitar,  both  at 
the  fellow’s  head  ; the  first  felled  him  to  earth,  the  second 
lopped  three  fingers  off  his  right  hand,  though  it  was  aimed 
at  his  head.  He  lay  there  like  a dead  man.  The  matter 
was  at  once  reported  to  the  Pope,  who  cried  in  a great 
fury:  “Since  the  King  wants  him  to  be  tried,  go  and  give 
him  three  days  to  prepare  his  defence  ! ” So  they  came,  and 
executed  the  commission  which  the  Pope  had  given  them. 

The  excellent  castellan  went  off  upon  the  spot  to  his 
Holiness,  and  informed  him  that  I was  no  accomplice  in 
the  matter,  and  that  I had  sent  Ascanio  about  his  business. 
So  ably  did  he  plead  my  cause  that  he  saved  my  life  from 
this  impending  tempest.  Ascanio  meanwhile  escaped  to 
Tagliacozzo,  to  his  home  there,  whence  he  wrote  begging  a 
thousand  times  my  pardon,  and  acknowledging  his  wrong 
in  adding  troubles  to  my  grave  disaster ; but  protesting 
that  if  through  God’s  grace  I came  out  from  the  prison,  he 
meant  never  to  abandon  me.  I let  him  understand  that  he 
must  mind  his  art,  and  that  if  God  set  me  at  large  again  I 
would  certainly  recall  him. 


evil 

The  castellan  was  subject  to  a certain  sickness,  which 
came  upon  him  every  year  and  deprived  him  of  his  wits. 
The  sign  of  its  approach  was  that  he  kept  continually  talk- 
ing, or  rather  jabbering,  to  no  purpose.  These  humours 
took  a different  shape  each  year ; one  time  he  thought  he 
was  an  oil- jar  ; another  time  he  thought  he  was  a frog,  and 


Girolamo  Pascucci. 


2i6 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


hopped  about  as  frogs  do  ; another  time  he  thought  he  was 
dead,  and  then  they  had  to  bury  him  ; not  a year  passed 
but  he  got  some  such  hypochondriac  notions  into  his  head. 
At  this  season  he  imagined  that  he  was  a bat,  and  when 
he  went  abroad  to  take  the  air,  he  used  to  scream  like  bats 
in  a high  thin  tone  ; and  then  he  would  flap  his  hands  and 
body  as  though  he  were  about  to  fly.  The  doctors,  when 
they  saw  the  lit  was  coming  on  him,  and  his  old  servants, 
gave  him  all  the  distractions  they  could  think  of ; and 
since  they  had  noticed  that  he  derived  much  pleasure  from 
my  conversation,  they  were  always  fetching  me  to  keep  him 
company.  At  times  the  poor  man  detained  me  for  four  or 
five  stricken  hours  without  ever  letting  me  cease  talking. 
He  used  to  keep  me  at  his  table,  eating  opposite  to  him, 
and  never  stopped  chatting  and  making  me  chat ; but 
during  those  discourses  I contrived  to  make  a good  meal. 
He,  poor  man,  could  neither  eat  nor  sleep  ; so  that  at  last 
he  wore  me  out.  I was  at  the  end  of  my  strength  ; and 
sometimes  when  I looked  at  him,  I noticed  that  his  eye- 
balls were  rolling  in  a frightful  manner,  one  looking  one 
way  and  the  other  in  another. 

He  took  it  into  his  head  to  ask  me  whether  I had  ever 
had  a fancy  to  fly.  I answered  that  it  had  always  been 
my  ambition  to  do  those  things  which  offer  the  greatest 
difficulties  to  men,  and  that  I had  done  them  ; as  to  flying, 
the  God  of  Nature  had  gifted  me  with  a body  well  suited 
for  running  and  leaping  far  beyond  the  common  average, 
and  that  with  the  talents  I possessed  for  manual  art  I felt 
sure  I had  the  courage  to  try  flying.  He  then  inquired 
what  methods  I should  use  ; to  which  I answered  that, 
taking  into  consideration  all  flying  creatures,  and  wishing 
to  imitate  by  art  what  they  derived  from  nature,  none  was 
so  apt  a model  as  the  bat.  No  sooner  had  the  poor  man 
heard  the  name  bat,  which  recalled  the  humour  he  was 
suffering  under,  than  he  cried  out  at  the  top  ot  his  voice  ; 
“He  says  true — he  says  true  ; the  bat’s  the  thing — the  bat’s 
the  thing  ! ” Then  he  turned  to  me  and  said  : “ Benvenuto, 
if  one  gave  you  the  opportunity,  should  you  have  the  heart 
to  fly  ? ” I said  that  if  he  would  set  me  at  liberty,  I felt 
quite  up  to  flying  down  to  Prati,  after  making  myself  a 
pair  of  wings  out  of  waxed  linen.  Thereupon  he  replied  : 
“ I too  should  be  prepared  to  take  flight  ; but  since  the 


BOOK  FIRST 


217 


Pope  has  bidden  me  guard  you  as  though  you  were  his 
own  eyes,  and  I know  you  a clever  devil  who  would 
certainly  escape,  I shall  now  have  you  locked  up  with  a 
hundred  keys  in  order  to  prevent  you  slipping  through 
my  lingers/'  I then  began  to  implore  him,  and  remind 
him  that  I might  have  fled,  but  that  on  account  of  the 
word  which  I had  given  him  I would  never  have  betrayed 
his  trust : therefore  I begged  him  for  the  love  of  God,  and 
by  the  kindness  he  had  always  shown  me,  not  to  add 
greater  evils  to  the  misery  of  my  present  situation.  While 
I was  pouring  out  these  entreaties,  he  gave  strict  orders  to 
have  me  bound  and  taken  and  locked  up  in  prison.  On 
seeing  that  it  could  not  be  helped,  I told  him  before  all 
his  servants  : “ Lock  me  well  up,  and  keep  good  watch  on 
me ; for  I shall  certainly  contrive  to  escape."  So  they 
took  and  confined  me  with  the  utmost  care. 


evil  I 

I then  began  to  deliberate  upon  the  best  way  of  making 
my  escape.  No  sooner  had  I been  locked  in,  than  I went 
about  exploring  my  prison  ; and  when  I thought  I had  dis- 
covered how  to  get  out  of  it,  I pondered  the  means  of 
descending  from  the  lofty  keep,  for  so  the  great  round 
central  tower  is  called.  I took  those  new  sheets  of  mine, 
which,  as  I have  said  already,  I had  cut  in  strips  and 
sewn  together ; then  I reckoned  up  the  quantity  which 
would  be  sufficient  for  my  purpose.  Having  made  this 
estimate  and  put  all  things  m order,  I looked  out  a pair 
of  pincers  which  I had  abstracted  from  a Savoyard 
belonging  to  the  guard  of  the  castle.  This  man  super- 
intended the  casks  and  cisterns  ; he  also  amused  himself 
with  carpentering.  Now  he  possessed  several  pairs  of 
pincers,  among  which  was  one  both  big  and  heavy.  I then, 
thinking  it  would  suit  my  purpose,  took  it  and  hid  it  in 
my  straw  mattress.  The  time  had  now  come  for  me  to 
use  it ; so  I began  to  try  the  nails  which  kept  the  hinges 
of  my  door  in  place.  ^ The  door  was  double,  and  the 

1 The  door  seems  to  have  been  hung  upon  hinges  with  plates  nailed  into 
the  posts.  Cellini  calls  these  plates  bandelle. 


2i8 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


clinching  of  the  nails  could  not  be  seen  ; so  that  when  I 
attempted  to  draw  one  out,  I met  with  the  greatest 
trouble  ; in  the  end,  however,  I succeeded.  When  I had 
drawn  the  first  nail,  I bethought  me  how  to  prevent  its 
being  noticed.  For  this  purpose  I mixed  some  rust,  which 
I had  scraped  from  old  iron,  with  a little  wax,  obtaining 
exactly  the  same  colour  as  the  heads  of  the  long  nails 
which  I had  extracted.  Then  I set  myself  to  coun- 
terfeit these  heads  and  place  them  on  the  holdfasts  ; for 
each  nail  I extracted  I made  a counterfeit  in  wax.  I left 
the  hinges  attached  to  their  door-posts  at  top  and  bottom 
by  means  of  some  of  the  same  nails  that  I had  drawn  ; 
but  I took  care  to  cut  these  and  replace  them  lightly,  so 
that  they  only  just  supported  the  irons  of  the  hinges. 

All  this  I performed  with  the  greatest  difficulty,  because 
the  castellan  kept  dreaming  every  night  that  I had  escaped, 
which  made  him  send  from  time  to  time  to  inspect  my 
prison.  The  man  who  came  had  the  title  and  behaviour 
of  a catchpoll.  He  was  called  Bozza,  and  used  always  to 
bring  with  him  another  of  the  same  sort,  named  Giovanni 
and  nicknamed  Pedignone  ; the  latter  was  a soldier,  and 
Bozza  a serving-man.  Giovanni  never  entered  my  prison 
without  saying  something  offensive  to  me.  He  came  from 
the  district  of  Prato,  and  had  been  an  apothecary  in  the 
town  there  Every  evening  he  minutely  examined  the  hold- 
fasts of  the  hinges  and  the  whole  chamber,  and  I used  to 
say : “ Keep  a good  watch  over  me,  for  I am  resolved  by 
all  means  to  escape.”  These  words  bred  a great  enmity 
between  him  and  me,  so  that  I was  obliged  to  use  precau- 
tions to  conceal  my  tools,  that  is  to  say,  my  pincers  and  a 
great  big  poniard  and  other  appurtenances.  All  these  I 
put  away  together  in  my  mattress,  where  I also  kept  the 
strips  of  linen  I had  made.  When  day  broke,  I used 
immediately  to  sweep  my  room  out ; and  though  I am  by 
nature  a lover  of  cleanliness,  at  that  time  I kept  myself  un- 
usually spick  and  span.  After  sweeping  up,  I made  my 
bed  as  daintily  as  I could,  laying  flowers  upon  it,  which 
a Savoyard  used  to  bring  me  nearly  every  morning.  He 
had  the  care  of  the  cistern  and  the  casks,  and  also  amused 
himself  with  carpentering ; it  was  from  him  I stole  the 
pincers  which  I used  in  order  to  draw  out  the  nails  from 
the  holdfasts  of  the  hinges. 


BOOK  FIRST 


219 


CIX 

Well,  to  return  to  the  subject  of  my  bed  ; when  Bozza 
and  Pedignone  came,  I always  told  them  to  give  it  a wide 
berth,  so  as  not  to  dirty  and  spoil  it  for  me.  Now  and 
then,  just  to  irritate  me,  they  would  touch  it  lightly,  upon 
which  I cried : “ Ah,  dirty  cowards  ! Pll  lay  my  hand  on 
one  of  your  swords  there,  and  will  do  you  a mischief  that 
will  make  you  wonder.  Do  you  think  you  are  fit  to  touch 
the  bed  of  a man  like  me  ? When  I chastise  you  I shall 
not  heed  my  own  life,  for  I am  certain  to  take  yours.  Let 
me  alone  then  with  my  troubles  and  my  tribulations,  and 
don’t  give  me  more  annoyance  than  I have  already  ; if  not, 
I shall  make  you  see  what  a desperate  man  is  able  to  do.” 
These  words  they  reported  to  the  castellan,  who  gave  them 
express  orders  never  to  go  near  my  bed,  and  when  they 
came  to  me,  to  come  without  swords,  but  for  the  rest  to 
keep  a watchful  guard  upon  me. 

Having  thus  secured  my  bed  from  meddlers,  I felt  as 
though  the  main  point  was  gained  ; for  there  lay  all  things 
needful  to  my  venture.  It  happened  on  the  evening  of  a 
certain  feast-day  that  the  castellan  was  seriously  indis- 
posed ; his  humours  grew  extravagant ; he  kept  repeating 
that  he  was  a bat,  and  if  they  heard  that  Benvenuto  had 
flown  away,  they  must  let  him  go  to  catch  me  up,  since 
he  could  fly  by  night  most  certainly  as  well  or  better  than 
myself ; for  it  was  thus  he  argued ; “ Benvenuto  is  a 
counterfeit  bat,  but  I am  a real  .one ; and  since  he  is  com- 
mitted to  my  care,  leave  me  to  act ; I shall  be  sure  to 
catch  him.”  He  had  passed  several  nights  in  this  frenzy, 
and  had  worn  out  all  his  servants,  whereof  I received  full 
information  through  divers  channels,  but  specially  from  the 
Savoyard,  who  was  my  friend  at  heart. 

On  the  evening  of  that  feast-day,  then,  I made  my  mind 
up  to  escape,  come  what  might ; and  first  I prayed  most 
devoutly  to  God,  imploring  His  Divine  Majesty  to  protect 
and  succour  me  in  that  so  perilous  a venture.  Afterwards 
I set  to  work  at  all  the  things  I needed,  and  laboured  the 
whole  of  the  night.  It  was  two  hours  before  daybreak 
when  at  last  I removed  those  hinges  with  the  greatest  toil ; 
but  the  wooden  panel  itself  and  the  bolt  too  offered  such 


220 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


resistance  that  I could  not  open  the  door  ; so  I had  to  cut 
into  the  wood  ; yet  in  the  end  I got  it  open,  and  shouldering 
the  strips  of  linen  which  I had  rolled  up  like  bundles  of 
flax  upon  two  sticks,  I went  forth  and  directed  my  steps 
toward  the  latrines  of  the  keep.  Spying  from  within  two 
tiles  upon  the  roof,  I was  able  at  once  to  clamber  up  with 
ease.  I wore  a white  doublet  with  a pair  of  white  hose 
and  a pair  of  half  boots,  into  which  I had  stuck  the  poniard 
I have  mentioned. 

After  scaling  the  roof,  I took  one  end  of  my  linen  roll 
and  attached  it  to  a piece  of  antique  tile  which  was  built 
into  the  fortress  wall  ; it  happened  to  jut  out  scarcely  four 
lingers.  In  order  to  fix  the  band,  I gave  it  the  form  of  a 
stirrup.  When  I had  attached  it  to  that  piece  of  tile,  I 
turned  to  God  and  said  : “ Lord  God,  give  aid  to  my  good 
cause  ; you  know  that  it  is  good  ; you  see  that  I am  aiding 
myself.’^  Then  I let  myself  go  gently  by  degrees,  sup- 
porting myself  with  the  sinews  of  my  arms,  until  I touched 
the  ground.  There  was  no  moonshine,  but  the  light  of  a fair 
open  heaven.  When  I stood  upon  my  feet  on  solid  earth, 
I looked  up  at  the  vast  height  which  I had  descended  with 
such  spirit,  and  went  gladly  away,  thinking  I was  free. 
But  this  was  not  the  case  ; for  the  castellan  on  that  side 
of  the  fortress  had  built  two  lofty  walls,  the  space  between 
which  he  used  for  stable  and  henyard ; the  place  was 
barred  with  thick  iron  bolts  outside.  I was  terribly  dis- 
gusted to  find  there  was  no  exit  from  this  trap  ; but  while 
I paced  up  and  down  debating  what  to  do,  I stumbled  on 
a long  pole  which  was  covered  up  with  straw.  Not  with- 
out great  trouble  I succeeded  in  placing  it  against  the  wail, 
and  then  swarmed  up  it  by  the  force  of  my  arms  until  I 
reached  the  top.  But  since  the  wall  ended  in  a sharp 
ridge,  I had  not  strength  enough  to  drag  the  pole  up  after 
me.  Accordingly  I made  my  mind  up  to  use  a portion  of 
the  second  roll  of  linen  which  I had  there  ; the  other  was 
left  hanging  from  the  keep  of  the  castle.  So  I cut  a piece 
off,  tied  it  to  the  pole,  and  clambered  down  the  wall,  en- 
during the  utmost  toil  and  fatigue.  I was  quite  exhausted, 
and  had,  moreover,  flayed  the  inside  of  my  hands,  which 
bled  freely.  This  compelled  me  to  rest  awhile,  and  I 
bathed  my  hands  in  my  own  urine.  When  I thought  that 
my  strength  was  recovered,  I advanced  quickly  toward  the 


BOOK  FIRST 


221 


last  rampart,  which  faces  toward  Prati.  There  I put  my 
bundle  of  linen  lines  down  upon  the  ground,  meaning  to 
fasten  them  round  a battlement,  and  descend  the  lesser 
as  I had  the  greater  height.  But  no  sooner  had  I placed 
the  linen,  than  I became  aware  behind  me  of  a sentinel, 
who  was  going  the  rounds.  Seeing  my  designs  interrupted 
and  my  life  m peril,  I resolved  to  face  the  guard.  This 
fellow,  when  he  noticed  my  bold  front,  and  that  I was 
marching  on  him  with  weapon  in  hand,  quickened  his  pace 
and  gave  me  a wide  berth.  I had  left  my  lines  some  little 
way  behind ; so  I turned  with  hasty  steps  to  regain  them  ; 
and  though  I came  within  sight  of  another  sentinel,  he 
seemed  as  though  he  did  not  choose  to  take  notice  of  me. 
Having  found  my  lines  and  attached  them  to  the  battle- 
ment, I let  myself  go.  On  the  descent,  whether  it  was  that 
I thought  I had  really  come  to  earth  and  relaxed  my  grasp 
to  jump,  or  whether  my  hands  were  so  tired  that  they  could 
not  keep  their  hold,  at  any  rate  I fell,  struck  my  head  in 
falling,  and  lay  stunned  for  more  than  an  hour  and  a half, 
so  far  as  I could  judge. 

It  was  just  upon  daybreak,  when  the  fresh  breeze  which 
blows  an  hour  before  the  sun  revived  me  ; yet  I did  not 
immediately  recover  my  senses,  for  I thought  my  head  had 
been  cut  off  and  fancied  that  I was  in  purgatory.  With 
time,  little  by  little,  my  faculties  returned,  and  I perceived 
that  I was  outside  the  castle,  and  m a flash  remembered 
all  my  adventures.  I was  aware  of  the  wound  in  my  head 
before  I knew  my  leg  was  broken  ; for  I put  my  hands  up, 
and  withdrew  them  covered  with  blood.  Then  I searched 
the  spot  well,  and  judged  and  ascertained  that  I had 
sustained  no  injury  of  consequence  there ; but  when  I 
wanted  to  stand  up,  I discovered  that  my  right  leg  was 
broken  three  inches  above  the  heel.  Not  even  this  dis- 
mayed me  ; I drew  forth  my  poniard  with  its  scabbard  ; 
the  latter  had  a metal  point  ending  in  a large  ball,  which 
had  caused  the  fracture  of  my  leg  ; for  the  bone,  coming 
into  violent  contact  with  the  ball,  and  not  being  able  to 
bend,  had  snapped  at  that  point.  I threw  the  sheath 
away,  and  with  the  poniard  cut  a piece  of  the  linen  which 
I had  left.  Then  I bound  my  leg  up  as  well  as  I could, 
and  crawled  on  all  fours  with  the  poniard  in  my  hand 
toward  the  city  gate.  When  I reached  it,  I found  it  shut ; 


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LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


but  I noticed  a stone  just  beneath  the  door  which  did  not 
appear  to  be  very  hrmly  fixed.  This  I attempted  to  dis- 
lodge ; after  setting  my  hands  to  it,  and  feeling  it  move, 
it  easily  gave  way,  and  I drew  it  out.  Through  the  gap 
thus  made  I crept  into  the  town. 


CX 

1 had  crawled  more  than  five  hundred  paces  from  the 
place  where  I fell,  to  the  gate  by  which  I entered.  No 
sooner  had  I got  inside  than  some  mastiff  dogs  set  upon 
me  and  bit  me  badly.  When  they  returned  to  the  attack 
and  worried  me,  I drew  my  poniard  and  wounded  one  of 
them  so  sharply  that  he  howled  aloud,  and  all  the  dogs, 
according  to  their  nature,  ran  after  him.  I meanwhile 
made  the  best  way  I could  on  all  fours  toward  the  church 
of  the  Trespontina. 

On  arriving  at  the  opening  of  the  street  which  leads 
to  SanF  Agnolo,  I turned  off  in  the  direction  of  San  Piero  ; 
and  now  the  dawn  had  risen  over  me,  and  I felt  myself  in 
danger.  When  therefore  I chanced  to  meet  a water-carrier 
driving  his  donkey  laden  with  full  buckets,  I called  the  fellow, 
and  begged  him  to  carry  me  upon  his  back  to  the  terrace 
by  the  steps  of  San  Piero,  adding  : “ I am  an  unfortunate 
young  man,  who,  while  escaping  from  a window  in  a love- 
adventure,  have  fallen  and  broken  my  leg.  The  place  from 
which  I made  my  exit  is  one  of  great  importance  ; and  if  I 
am  discovered,  I run  risk  of  being  cut  to  pieces  ; so  for 
heaven’s  sake  lift  me  quickly,  and  I will  give  you  a crown 
of  gold.”  Saying  this,  I clapped  my  hand  to  my  purse, 
where  I had  a good  quantity.  He  took  me  up  at  once, 
hitched  me  on  his  back,  and  carried  me  to  the  raised  terrace 
by  the  steps  to  San  Piero.  There  I bade  him  leave  me, 
saying  he  must  run  back  to  his  donkey. 

I resumed  my  march,  crawling  always  on  all  fours,  and 
making  for  the  palace  of  the  Duchess,  wife  of  Duke  Ottavio 
and  daughter  of  the  Emperor.^  She  was  his  natural  child, 
and  had  been  married  to  Duke  Alessandro.  I chose  her 

1 Margaret  of  Austria,  who  married  Ottaviano  Farnese  in  November  1538, 
after  Alessandro’s  murder. 


BOOK  FIRST 


223 


house  for  refuge,  because  I was  quite  certain  that  many  of 
my  friends,  who  had  come  with  that  great  princess  from 
Florence,  were  tarrying  there  ; also  because  she  had  taken 
me  into  favour  through  something  which  the  castellan  had 
said  in  my  behalf.  Wishing  to  be  of  service  to  me,  he  told 
the  Pope  that  I had  saved  the  city  more  than  a thousand 
crowns  of  damage,  caused  by  heavy  rain  on  the  occasion 
when  the  Duchess  made  her  entrance  into  Rome.  He  re- 
lated how  he  was  in  despair,  and  how  I put  heart  into  him, 
and  went  on  to  describe  how  I had  pointed  several  large 
pieces  of  artillery  in  the  direction  where  the  clouds  were 
thickest,  and  whence  a deluge  of  water  was  already  pouring  ; 
then,  when  I began  to  fire,  the  rain  stopped,  and  at  the 
fourth  discharge  the  sun  shone  out ; and  so  I was  the  sole 
cause  of  the  festival  succeeding,  to  the  joy  of  everybody. 
On  hearing  this  narration  the  Duchess  said  : “ That  Ben- 
venuto is  one  of  the  artists  of  merit,  who  enjoyed  the  good- 
will of  my  late  husband,  Duke  Alessandro,  and  I shall 
always  hold  them  in  mind  if  an  opportunity  comes  of  doing 
such  men  service.’^  She  also  talked  of  me  to  Duke  Ottavio. 
For  these  reasons  I meant  to  go  straight  to  the  house  of  her 
Excellency,  which  was  a very  fine  palace  situated  in  Borgio 
Vecchio. 

I should  have  been  quite  safe  from  recapture  by  the  Pope 
if  I could  have  stayed  there  ; but  my  exploits  up  to  this 
point  had  been  too  marvellous  for  a human  being,  and  God 
was  unwilling  to  encourage  my  vainglory ; accordingly,  for 
my  own  good.  He  chastised  me  a second  time  worse  even 
than  the  first.  The  cause  of  this  was  that  while  I was 
crawling  on  all  fours  up  those  steps,  a servant  of  Cardinal 
Cornaro  recognised  me.  His  master  was  then  lodging  in 
the  palace  ; so  the  servant  ran  up  to  his  room  and  woke 
him,  crying  : “ Most  reverend  Monsignor,  your  friend  Ben- 
venuto is  down  there  ; he  has  escaped  from  the  castle, 
and  is  crawling  on  all  fours,  streaming  with  blood  ; to  all 
appearances  he  has  broken  a leg,  and  we  don’t  know 
whither  he  is  going.”  The  Cardinal  exclaimed  at  once  : 
“ Run  and  carry  him  upon  your  back  into  my  room  here.” 
When  I arrived,  he  told  me  to  be  under  no  apprehension, 
and  sent  for  the  first  physicians  of  Rome  to  take  my  case 
in  hand.  Among  them  was  Maestro  Jacomo  of  Perugia,  a 
most  excellent  and  able  surgeon.  He  set  the  bone  with 


224 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


dexterity,  then  bound  the  limb  up,  and  bled  me  with  his  own 
hand.  It  happened  that  my  veins  were  swollen  far  beyond 
their  usual  size,  and  he  too  wished  to  make  a pretty  wide  in- 
cision ; accordingly  the  blood  sprang  forth  so  copiously,  and 
spurted  with  such  force  into  his  face,  that  he  had  to  aban- 
don the  operation.  He  regarded  this  as  a very  bad  omen, 
and  could  hardly  be  prevailed  upon  to  undertake  my  cure. 
Indeed,  he  often  expressed  a wish  to  leave  me,  remember- 
ing that  he  ran  no  little  risk  of  punishment  for  having  treated 
my  case,  or  rather  for  having  proceeded  to  the  end  with  it. 
The  Cardinal  had  me  placed  in  a secret  chamber,  and  went 
oil  immediately  to  beg  me  from  the  Pope. 


CXI 

During  this  while  all  Rome  was  in  an  uproar  ; for  they 
had  observed  the  bands  of  linen  fastened  to  the  great  keep 
of  the  castle,  and  folk  were  running  in  crowds  to  behold  so 
extraordinary  a thing.  The  castellan  had  gone  off  into  one 
of  his  worst  fits  of  frenzy  ; in  spite  of  all  his  servants,  he 
insisted  upon  taking  his  flight  also  from  the  tower,  saying 
that  no  one  could  recapture  me  except  himself  if  he  were  to 
fly  after  me.  Messer  Ruberto  Pucci,  the  father  of  Messer 
Pandolfo,^  having  heard  of  the  great  event,  went  in  person  to 
inspect  the  place  ; afterwards  he  came  to  the  palace,  where 
he  met  with  Cardinal  Cornaro,  who  told  him  exactly  what  had 
happened,  and  how  I was  lodged  in  one  of  his  own  chambers, 
and  already  in  the  doctor’s  hands.  These  two  worthy  men 
went  together,  and  threw  themselves  upon  their  knees  before 
the  Pope  ; but  he,  before  they  could  get  a word  out,  cried 
aloud  : “ I know  all  that  you  want  of  me.”  Messer  Ruberto 
Pucci  then  began:  “Most  blessed  Father,  we  beg  you  for 
Heaven’s  grace  to  give  us  up  that  unfortunate  man  ; surely 
his  great  talents  entitle  him  to  exceptional  treatment ; more- 
over, he  has  displayed  such  audacity,  blent  with  so  much 
ingenuity,  that  his  exploit  might  seem  superhuman.  We 
know  not  for  what  crimes  your  Holiness  has  kept  him  so 
long  in  prison  ; however,  if  those  crimes  are  too  exorbitant, 
your  Holiness  is  wise  and  holy,  and  may  your  will  be  done 


^ See  above,  p.  1 12. 


BOOK  FIRST 


225 


unquestioned  ; still,  if  they  are  such  as  can  be  condoned,  we 
entreat  you  to  pardon  him  for  our  sake.’^  The  Pope,  when 
he  heard  this,  felt  shame,  and  answered  : “ I have  kept  him 
in  prison  at  the  request  of  some  of  my  people,  since  he  is 
a little  too  violent  in  his  behaviour ; but  recognising  his 
talents,  and  wishing  to  keep  him  near  our  person,  we  had 
intended  to  treat  him  so  well  that  he  should  have  no  reason 
to  return  to  France.  I am  very  sorry  to  hear  of  his  bad 
accident ; tell  him  to  mind  his  health,  and  when  he  is  re- 
covered, we  will  make  it  up  to  him  for  all  his  troubles.” 

Those  two  excellent  men  returned  and  told  me  the  good 
news  they  were  bringing  from  the  Pope.  Meanwhile  the 
nobility  of  Rome,  young,  old,  and  all  sorts,  came  to  visit  me. 
The  castellan,  out  of  his  mind  as  he  was,  had  himself  carried 
to  the  Pope  ; and  when  he  was  in  the  presence  of  his  Holi- 
ness, began  to  cry  out,  and  to  say  that  if  he  did  not  send 
me  back  to  prison,  he  would  do  him  a great  wrong.  “He 
escaped  under  parole  which  he  gave  me  ; woe  is  me  that  he 
has  flown  away  when  he  promised  not  to  fly  ! ” The  Pope 
said,  laughing : “ Go,  go  ; for  I will  give  him  back  to  you 
without  fail.”  The  castellan  then  added,  speaking  to  the 
Pope  : “ Send  the  Governor  to  him  to  find  out  who  helped 
him  to  escape  ; for  if  it  is  one  of  my  men,  I will  hang  him 
from  the  battlement  whence  Benvenuto  leaped.”  On  his 
departure  the  Pope  called  the  Governor,  and  said,  smiling  : 
“That  is  a brave  fellow,  and  his  exploit  is  something  mar- 
vellous ; all  the  same,  when  I was  a young  man,  I also  de- 
scended from  the  fortress  at  that  very  spot.”  In  so  saying 
the  Pope  spoke  the  truth  : for  he  had  been  imprisoned  in 
the  castle  for  forging  a brief  at  the  time  when  he  was  ab- 
breviator  di  Parco  Majoris}  Pope  Alexander  kept  him  con- 
fined for  some  length  of  time  ; and  afterwards,  his  offence 
being  of  too  ugly  a nature,  had  resolved  on  cutting  off  his 
head.  He  postponed  the  execution,  however,  till  after 
Corpus  Domini ; and  Farnese,  getting  wind  of  the  Pope^s 
will,  summoned  Pietro  Chiavelluzzi  with  a lot  of  horses,  and 
managed  to  corrupt  some  of  the  castle  guards  with  money. 
Accordingly,  upon  the  day  of  Corpus  Domini,  while  the 

^ The  Collegium  Abbreviatorum  di  Parco  Majori  consisted  of  seventy- two 
members.  It  was  established  by  Pius  II.  Onofrio  Panvinio  tells  this  story  of 
Paul  III.’s  imprisonment  and  escape,  but  places  it  in  the  Papacy  of  Innocent 
VIII.  See  Vzfa  Pauli  1 11.^  in  continuation  of  Platina. 

P 


226 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


Pope  was  going  in  procession,  Farnese  got  into  a basket 
and  was  let  down  by  a rope  to  the  ground.  At  that  time 
the  outer  walls  had  not  been  built  around  the  castle  ; only 
the  great  central  tower  existed ; so  that  he  had  not  the 
same  enormous  difficulty  that  I met  with  in  escaping ; 
moreover,  he  had  been  imprisoned  justly,  and  I against  all 
equity.  What  he  wanted  was  to  brag  before  the  Governor 
of  having  in  his  youth  been  spirited  and  brave  ; and  it  did 
not  occur  to  him  that  he  was  calling  attention  to  his  own 
huge  rogueries.  He  said  then:  “Go  and  tell  him  to  reveal 
his  accomplice  without  apprehension  to  you,  be  the  man 
who  he  may  be,  since  I have  pardoned  him  ; and  this  you 
may  assure  him  without  reservation.” 


CXII 

So  the  Governor  came  to  see  me.  Two  days  before  he 
had  been  made  Bishop  of  Jesi  U and  when  he  entered  he 
said : “ Friend  Benvenuto,  although  my  office  is  wont  to 
frighten  men,  I come  to  set  your  mind  at  rest,  and  to  do 
this  I have  full  authority  from  his  Holiness^s  own  lips,  who 
told  me  how  he  also  escaped  from  Sant^  Angelo,  but  had 
many  aids  and  much  company,  else  he  would  not  have  been 
able  to  accomplish  it.  I swear  by  the  sacraments  which  I 
carry  on  my  person  (for  I was  consecrated  Bishop  two  days 
since)  that  the  Pope  has  set  you  free  and  pardoned  you, 
and  is  very  sorry  for  your  accident.  Attend  to  your  health, 
and  take  all  things  for  the  best ; for  your  imprisonment, 
which  you  certainly  underwent  without  a shadow  of  guilt, 
will  have  been  for  your  perpetual  welfare.  Henceforward 
you  will  tread  down  poverty,  and  will  not  have  to  go  back 
to  France,  wearing  out  your  life  in  this  place  and  in  that. 
Tell  me  then  frankly  how  the  matter  went,  and  who  ren- 
dered you  assistance  ; afterwards  take  comfort,  repose,  and 
recover.”  I began  at  the  beginning,  and  related  the  whole 
story  exactly  as  it  had  happened,  giving  him  the  most 
minute  countersigns,  down  to  the  water-carrier  who  bore 
me  on  his  back.  When  the  Governor  had  heard  the  whole, 
he  said  : “Of  a surety  these  are  too  great  exploits  for  one 
man  alone  ; no  one  but  you  could  have  performed  them.” 

^ Cellini  confuses  Jesi  with  Forlimpopoli.  See  above,  p.  204,  note. 


BOOK  FIRST 


227 


So  he  made  me  reach  my  hand  forth,  and  said  : “ Be  ot 
good  courage  and  comfort  your  heart,  for  by  this  hand 
which  I am  holding  you  are  free,  and  if  you  live,  shall  live 
in  happiness.’^  While  thus  conversing  with  me,  he  had 
kept  a whole  heap  of  great  lords  and  noblemen  waiting, 
who  were  come  to  visit  me,  saying  one  to  the  other  : “ Let 
us  go  to  see  this  man  who  works  miracles.”  So,  when  he 
departed,  they  stayed  by  me,  and  one  made  me  offers  of 
kindness,  and  another  made  me  presents. 

While  I was  being  entertained  in  this  way,  the  Governor 
returned  to  the  Pope,  and  reported  all  that  I had  said.  As 
chance  would  have  it.  Signor  Pier  Luigi,  the  Pope’s  son, 
happened  to  be  present,  and  all  the  company  gave  signs  of 
great  astonishment.  His  Holiness  remarked  : “ Of  a truth 
this  is  a marvellous  exploit.”  Then  Pier  Luigi  began  to 
speak  as  follows : “ Most  blessed  Father,  if  you  set  that 
man  free,  he  will  do  something  still  more  marvellous,  be- 
cause he  has  by  far  too  bold  a spirit.  I will  tell  you  another 
story  about  him  which  you  do  not  know.  That  Benvenuto 
of  yours,  before  he  was  imprisoned,  came  to  words  with  a 
gentleman  of  Cardinal  Santa  Fiore,i  about  some  trifle  which 
the  latter  had  said  to  him.  Now  Benvenuto’s  retort  was 
so  swaggeringly  insolent  that  it  amounted  to  throwing  down 
a cartel.  The  gentleman  referred  the  matter  to  the  Cardinal, 
who  said  that  if  he  once  laid  hands  on  Benvenuto  he  would 
soon  clear  his  head  of  such  folly.  When  the  fellow  heard 
this,  he  got  a little  fowling-piece  of  his  ready,  with  which 
he  is  accustomed  to  hit  a penny  in  the  middle  ; accordingly, 
one  day  when  the  Cardinal  was  looking  out  of  window, 
Benvenuto’s  shop  being  under  the  palace  of  the  Cardinal, 
he  took  his  gun  and  pointed  it  upon  the  Cardinal.  The 
Cardinal,  however,  had  been  warned,  and  presently  with- 
drew. Benvenuto,  in  order  that  his  intention  might  escape 
notice,  aimed  at  a pigeon  which  was  brooding  high  up  in  a 
hole  of  the  palace,  and  hit  it  exactly  in  the  head — a feat  one 
would  have  thought  incredible.  Now  let  your  Holiness  do 
what  you  think  best  about  him  ; I have  discharged  my  duty 
by  saying  what  I have.  It  might  even  come  into  his  head, 
imagining  that  he  had  been  wrongly  imprisoned,  to  fire  upon 
your  Holiness.  Indeed  he  is  too  truculent,  by  far  too  con- 

^ Ascanio  Sforza,  son  of  Bosio,  Count  of  Santa  Fiore,  and  grandson  of 
Paul  III.  He  got  the  hat  in  1534,  at  the  age  of  sixteen. 


228 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


fident  in  his  own  powers.  When  he  killed  Pompeo,  he 
gave  him  two  stabs  with  a poniard  in  the  throat,  in  the 
midst  of  ten  men  who  were  guarding  him  ; then  he  escaped, 
to  their  great  shame,  and  yet  they  were  no  inconsiderable 
persons.” 


CXIII 

While  these  words  were  being  spoken,  the  gentleman 
of  Santa  Fiore  with  whom  I had  that  quarrel  was  present, 
and  confirmed  to  the  Pope  what  had  been  spoken  by  his 
son.  The  Pope  swelled  with  rage,  but  said  nothing.  I 
shall  now  proceed  to  give  my  own  version  of  the  affair, 
truly  and  honestly. 

This  gentleman  came  to  me  one  day,  and  showed  me  a 
little  gold  ring  which  had  been  discoloured  by  quicksilver, 
saying  at  the  same  time  : “ Polish  up  this  ring  for  me,  and 
be  quick  about  it.”  I was  engaged  at  the  moment  upon 
jewel- work  of  gold  and  gems  of  great  importance  : besides, 
I did  not  care  to  be  ordered  about  so  haughtily  by  a man 
I had  never  seen  or  spoken  to ; so  I replied  that  I did  not 
happen  to  have  by  me  the  proper  tool  for  cleaning  up  his 
ring,  1 and  that  he  had  better  go  to  another  goldsmith. 
Without  further  provocation  he  retorted  that  I was  a 
donkey ; whereupon  I said  that  he  was  not  speaking  the 
truth  ; that  I was  a better  man  than  he  in  every  respect, 
but  that  if  he  kept  on  irritating  me  I would  give  him 
harder  kicks  than  any  donkey  could.  He  related  the 
matter  to  the  Cardinal,  and  painted  me  as  black  as  the 
devil  in  hell.  Two  days  afterwards  I shot  a wild  pigeon 
in  a cleft  high  up  behind  the  palace.  The  bird  was  brood- 
ing in  that  cleft,  and  I had  often  seen  a goldsmith  named 
Giovan  Francesco  della  Tacca,  from  Milan,  fire  at  it  ; but 
he  never  hit  it.  On  the  day  when  I shot  it,  the  pigeon 
scarcely  showed  its  head,  being  suspicious  because  it  had 
been  so  often  fired  at.  Now  this  Giovan  Francesco  and  I 
were  rivals  in  shooting  wildfowl  ; and  some  gentlemen  of 
my  acquaintance,  who  happened  to  be  at  my  shop,  called 
my  attention,  saying ; “ Up  there  is  Giovan  Francesco 
della  Tacca’s  pigeon,  at  which  he  has  so  often  fired  ; look 

^ Cellini  calls  it  isvivatoio.  It  is  properly  avvivatoio,  a sort  of  brass  rod 
with  a wooden  handle. 


BOOK  FIRST 


229 


now,  the  poor  creature  is  so  frightened  that  it  hardly 
ventures  to  put  its  head  out.”  I raised  my  eyes,  and 
said  : “ That  morsel  of  its  head  is  quite  enough  for  me  to 
shoot  it  by,  if  it  only  stays  till  I can  point  my  gun.”  The 
gentlemen  protested  that  even  the  man  who  invented  fire- 
arms could  not  hit  it.  I replied  : “ I bet  a bottle  of  that 
excellent  Greek  wine  Palombo  the  host  keeps,  that  if  it 
keeps  quiet  long  enough  for  me  to  point  my  good 
Broccardo  (so  I used  to  call  my  gun),  I will  hit  it  in  that 
portion  of  its  head  which  it  is  showing.”  So  I aimed  my 
gun,  elevating  my  arms,  and  using  no  other  rest,  and  did 
what  I had  promised,  without  thinking  of  the  Cardinal  or 
any  other  person  ; on  the  contrary,  I held  the  Cardinal 
for  my  very  good  patron.  Let  the  world,  then,  take 
notice,  when  Fortune  has  the  will  to  ruin  a man,  how 
many  divers  ways  she  takes ! The  Pope,  swelling  with 
rage  and  grumbling,  remained  revolving  what  his  son  had 
told  him. 


CXIV 

Two  days  afterwards  the  Cardinal  Cornaro  went  to  beg 
a bishopric  from  the  Pope  for  a gentleman  of  his  called 
Messer  Andrea  Centano.  The  Pope,  in  truth,  had  promised 
him  a bishopric ; and  this  being  now  vacant,  the  Cardinal 
reminded  him  of  his  word.  The  Pope  acknowledged  his 
obligation,  but  said  that  he  too  wanted  a favour  from  his 
most  reverend  lordship,  which  was  that  he  would  give  up 
Benvenuto  to  him.  On  this  the  Cardinal  replied  : “ Oh, 
if  your  Holiness  has  pardoned  him  and  set  him  free  at 
my  disposal,  what  will  the  world  say  of  you  and  me  ? ” 
The  Pope  answered : “ I want  Benvenuto,  you  want  the 
bishopric ; let  the  world  say  what  it  chooses.”  The  good 
Cardinal  entreated  his  Holiness  to  give  him  the  bishopric, 
and  for  the  rest  to  think  the  matter  over,  and  then  to  act 
according  as  his  Holiness  decided.  The  Pope,  feeling  a 
certain  amount  of  shame  at  so  wickedly  breaking  his  word, 
took  what  seemed  a middle  course : “I  will  send  for 
Benvenuto,  and  in  order  to  gratify  the  whim  I have,  will 
put  him  in  those  rooms  which  open  on  my  private 
garden  ; there  he  can  attend  to  his  recovery,  and  I will  not 
prevent  any  of  his  friends  from  coming  to  visit  him.  More- 


230 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


over,  I will  defray  his  expenses  until  this  caprice  of  mine 
has  left  me/^ 

The  Cardinal  came  home,  and  sent  the  candidate  for 
this  bishopric  on  the  spot  to  inform  me  that  the  Pope  was 
resolved  to  have  me  back,  but  that  he  meant  to  keep  me 
in  a ground-floor  room  in  his  private  garden,  where  I 
could  receive  the  visits  of  my  friends,  as  I had  done  in  his 
own  house.  I implored  this  Messer  Andrea  to  ask  the 
Cardinal  not  to  give  me  up  to  the  Pope,  but  to  let  me  act 
on  my  own  account.  I would  have  myself  wrapped  up  in 
a mattress,  and  carried  to  a safe  place  outside  Rome ; for 
if  he  gave  me  up  to  the  Pope,  he  would  certainly  be  send- 
ing me  to  death.  It  is  believed  that  when  the  Cardinal 
heard  my  petition  he  was  not  ill-disposed  to  grant  it ; but 
Messer  Andrea,  wanting  to  secure  the  bishopric,  denounced 
me  to  the  Pope,  who  sent  at  once  and  had  me  lodged  in 
the  ground-floor  chamber  of  his  private  garden.  The 
Cardinal  sent  me  word  not  to  eat  the  food  provided  for 
me  by  the  Pope  ; he  would  supply  me  with  provisions ; 
meanwhile  I was  to  keep  my  spirits  up,  for  he  would 
work  in  my  cause  till  I was  set  free.  Matters  being  thus 
arranged,  I received  daily  visits  and  generous  offers  from 
many  great  lords  and  gentlemen.  Food  came  from  the 
Pope,  which  I refused  to  touch,  only  eating  that  which 
came  from  Cardinal  Cornaro  ; and  thus  I remained  awhile. 

I had  among  my  friends  a young  Greek  of  the  age  of 
twenty-five  years.  He  was  extremely  active  in  all  physical 
exercises,  and  the  best  swordsman  in  Rome  ; rather  poor- 
spirited,  however,  but  loyal  to  the  backbone  ; honest,  and 
ready  to  believe  what  people  told  him.  He  had  heard  it 
said  that  the  Pope  made  known  his  intention  of  compen- 
sating me  for  all  I had  gone  through.  It  is  true  that  the 
Pope  began  by  saying  so,  but  he  ended  by  saying  quite 
the  opposite.  I then  determined  to  confide  in  the  young 
Greek,  and  said  to  him  : “ Dearest  brother,  they  are 

plotting  my  ruin  ; so  now  the  time  has  come  to  help 
me.  Do  they  imagine,  when  they  heap  those  extraordinary 
favours  on  me,  that  I am  not  aware  they  are  done  to 
betray  me  ? ” The  worthy  young  man  answered  : “ My 

Benvenuto,  they  say  in  Rome  that  the  Pope  has  bestowed 
on  you  an  office  with  an^  income  of  five  hundred  crowns  ; 
I beseech  you  therefore  not  to  let  those  suspicions  deprive 


BOOK  FIRST 


231 


you  of  so  great  a windfall.”  All  the  same  I begged  him 
with  clasped  hands  to  aid  me  in  escaping  from  that  place, 
saying  I knew  well  that  a Pope  of  that  sort,  though  he 
could  do  me  much  good  if  he  chose,  was  really  studying 
secretly,  and  to  save  appearances,  how  he  might  best 
destroy  me  ; therefore  we  must  be  quick  and  try  to  save 
me  from  his  clutches.  If  my  friend  would  get  me  out  of 
that  place  by  the  means  I meant  to  tell  him,  I should 
always  regard  him  as  the  saviour  of  my  life,  and  when 
occasion  came  would  lay  it  down  for  him  with  gladness. 
The  poor  young  man  shed  tears,  and  cried  : “ Oh,  my  dear 
brother,  though  you  are  bringing  destruction  on  your 
head,  I cannot  but  fulfil  your  wishes ; so  explain  your 
plan,  and  I will  do  whatever  you  may  order,  albeit  much 
against  my  will.”  Accordingly  we  came  to  an  agreement, 
and  I disclosed  to  him  the  details  of  my  scheme,  which 
was  certain  to  have  succeeded  without  difficulty.  When 
I hoped  that  he  was  coming  to  execute  it,  he  came  and 
told  me  that  for  my  own  good  he  meant  to  disobey  me, 
being  convinced  of  the  truth  of  what  he  had  heard  from 
men  close  to  the  Pope’s  person,  who  understood  the  real 
state  of  my  affairs.  Having  nothing  else  to  rely  upon,  I 
remained  in  despair  and  misery.  This  passed  on  the  day 
of  Corpus  Domini  1539. 


cxv 

After  my  conversation  with  the  Greek,  the  whole  day 
wore  away,  and  at  night  there  came  abundant  provisions 
from  the  kitchen  of  the  Pope  ; the  Cardinal  Cornaro  also 
sent  good  store  of  viands  from  his  kitchen ; and  some 
friends  of  mine  being  present  when  they  arrived,  I made 
them  stay  to  supper,  and  enjoyed  their  society,  keeping  my 
leg  in  splints  beneath  the  bed-clothes.  An  hour  after 
nightfall  they  left  me ; and  two  of  my  servants,  having 
made  me  comfortable  for  the  night,  went  to  sleep  in  the 
antechamber.  I had  a dog,  black  as  a mulberry,  one  of 
those  hairy  ones,  who  followed  me  admirably  when  I went 
out  shooting,  and  never  left  my  side.  During  the  night  he 
lay  beneath  my  bed,  and  I had  to  call  out  at  least  three 
times  to  my  servant  to  turn  him  out,  because  he  howled 
so  fearfully.  When  the  servants  entered,  the  dog  flew  at 


232 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


them  and  tried  to  bite  them.  They  were  frightened,  and 
thought  he  must  be  mad,  because  he  went  on  howling.  In 
this  way  we  passed  the  first  four  hours  of  the  night.  At 
the  stroke  of  four  the  Bargello  came  into  my  room  with  a 
band  of  constabies.  Then  the  dog  sprang  forth  and  flew 
at  them  with  such  fury,  tearing  their  capes  and  hose,  that 
in  their  fright  they  fancied  he  was  mad.  But  the  Bargello, 
like  an  experienced  person,  told  them  : “ It  is  the  nature 
of  good  dogs  to  divine  and  foretell  the  mischance  coming 
on  their  masters.  Two  of  you  take  sticks  and  beat  the  dog 
off ; while  the  others  strap  Benvenuto  on  this  chair  ; then 
carry  him  to  the  place  you  wot  of.”  It  was,  as  I have  said, 
the  night  after  Corpus  Domini,  and  about  four  o’clock. 

The  officers  carried  me,  well  shut  up  and  covered,  and 
four  of  them  went  in  front,  making  the  few  passengers  who 
were  still  abroad  get  out  of  the  way.  So  they  bore  me  to 
Torre  di  Nona,  such  is  the  name  of  the  place,  and  put  me 
in  the  condemned  cell.  I was  left  upon  a wretched  mattress 
under  the  care  of  a guard,  who  kept  all  night  mourning 
over  my  bad  luck,  and  saying  to  me  : “ Alas  ! poor  Benvenuto, 
what  have  you  done  to  those  great  folk  ? ” I could  now 
form  a very  good  opinion  of  what  was  going  to  happen  to 
me,  partly  by  the  place  in  which  I found  myself,  and  also 
by  what  the  man  had  told  me.^  During  a portion  of  that 
night  I kept  racking  my  brains  what  the  cause  could  be 
why  God  thought  fit  to  try  me  so,  and  not  being  able  to 
discover  it,  I was  violently  agitated  in  my  soul.  The  guard 
did  the  best  he  could  to  comfort  me  ; but  I begged  him 
for  the  love  of  God  to  stop  talking,  seeing  I should  be 
better  able  to  compose  myself  alone  in  quiet.  He  promised 
to  do  as  I asked  ; and  then  I turned  my  whole  heart  to 
God,  devoutly  entreating  Him  to  deign  to  take  me  into  His 
kingdom.  I had,  it  is  true,  murmured  against  my  lot, 
because  it  seemed  to  me  that,  so  far  as  human  laws  go,  my 
departure  from  the  world  in  this  way  would  be  too  unjust ; 
it  is  true  also  that  I had  committed  homicides,  but  His  Vicar 
had  called  me  from  my  native  city  and  pardoned  me  by  the 
authority  he  had  from  Him  and  from  the  laws  ; and  what 
I had  done  had  all  been  done  in  defence  of  the  body  which 

^ Cellini  thought  he  was  going  to  have  his  throat  cut.  And  indeed  the 
Torre  di  Nona  was  a suspicious  place,  it  being  one  of  the  worst  criminal 
prisons  in  Rome. 


BOOK  FIRST 


233 


His  Majesty  had  lent  me  ; so  I could  not  admit  that  I 
deserved  death  according  to  the  dispensation  under  which 
man  dwells  here  ; but  it  seemed  that  what  was  happening 
to  me  was  the  same  as  what  happens  to  unlucky  people  in 
the  street,  when  a stone  falls  from  some  great  height  upon 
their  head  and  kills  them  ; this  we  see  clearly  to  be  the 
influence  of  the  stars  ; not  indeed  that  the  stars  conspire  to 
do  us  good  or  evil,  but  the  effect  results  from  their  conjunc- 
tions, to  which  we  are  subordinated.  At  the  same  time  I 
know  that  I am  possessed  of  free-will,  and  if  I could  exert 
the  faith  of  a saint,  I am  sure  that  the  angels  of  heaven 
would  bear  me  from  this  dungeon  and  relieve  me  of  all  my 
afflictions  ; yet  inasmuch  as  God  has  not  deemed  me  worthy 
of  such  miracles,  I conclude  that  those  celestial  influences 
must  be  wreaking  their  malignity  upon  me.  In  this  long 
struggle  of  the  soul  I spent  some  time  ; then  I found  com- 
fort, and  fell  presently  asleep. 


CXVI 

When  the  day  dawned,  the  guard  woke  me  up  and  said  : 
“ Oh,  unfortunate  but  worthy  man,  you  have  no  more  time 
to  go  on  sleeping,  for  one  is  waiting  here  to  give  you  evil 
news.’^  I answered  : “ The  sooner  I escape  from  this  earthly 
prison,  the  happier  shall  I be  ; especially  as  I am  sure 
my  soul  is  saved,  and  that  I am  going  to  an  undeserved 
death.  Christ,  the  glorious  and  divine,  elects  me  to  the 
company  of  His  disciples  and  friends,  who,  like  Himself, 
were  condemned  to  die  unjustly.  I too  am  sentenced  to 
an  unjust  death,  and  I thank  God  with  humility  for  this 
sign  of  grace.  Why  does  not  the  man  come  forward  who 
has  to  pronounce  my  doom ? ” The  guard  replied  : “He 
is  too  grieved  for  you,  and  sheds  tears.^’  Then  I called 
him  by  his  name  of  Messer  Benedetto  da  Cagli,^  and  cried : 
“ Come  forward,  Messer  Benedetto,  my  friend,  for  now,  I 
am  resolved  and  in  good  frame  of  mind  ; far  greater  glory 
is  it  for  me  to  die  unjustly  than  if  I had  deserved  this  fate. 
Come  forward,  I beg,  and  let  me  have  a priest,  in  order 
that  I may  speak  a couple  of  words  with  him.  I do  not 

^ It  will  be  remembered  that  Benedetto  da  Cagli  was  one  of  Cellini’s  three 
examiners  during  his  first  imprisonment  in  S.  Angelo. 


234 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


indeed  stand  in  need  of  this,  for  I have  already  made  my 
heart’s  confession  to  my  Lord  God  ; yet  I should  like  to 
observe  the  ordinances  of  our  Holy  Mother  Church  ; for 
though  she  has  done  me  this  abominable  wrong,  I pardon 
her  with  all  my  soul.  So  come,  friend  Messer  Benedetto, 
and  despatch  my  business  before  I lose  control  over  my 
better  instincts.” 

After  I had  uttered  these  words,  the  worthy  man  told 
the  guard  to  lock  the  door,  because  nothing  could  be  done 
without  his  presence.  He  then  repaired  to  the  house  of 
Signor  Pier  Luigi’s  wife,  who  happened  to  be  in  company 
with  the  Duchess  of  whom  I spoke  above. ^ Presenting 
himself  before  them  both,  he  spoke  as  follows  : “ My 

most  illustrious  mistress,  I entreat  you  for  the  love  of  God 
to  tell  the  Pope  that  he  must  send  some  one  else  to  pro- 
nounce sentence  upon  Benvenuto  and  perform  my  office  ; 
I renounce  the  task,  and  am  quite  decided  not  to  carry  it 
through.”  Then,  sighing,  he  departed  with  the  strongest 
signs  of  inward  sorrow.  The  Duchess,  who  was  present, 
frowned  and  said  : “ So  this  is  the  fine  justice  dealt  out 

here  in  Rome  by  God’s  Vicar  ! The  Duke,  my  late  hus- 
band, particularly  esteemed  this  man  for  his  good  qualities 
and  eminent  abilities  ; he  was  unwilling  to  let  him  return 
to  Rome,  and  would  gladly  have  kept  him  close  to  his  own 
person.”  Upon  this  she  retired,  muttering  words  of  in- 
dignation and  displeasure.  Signor  Pier  Luigi’s  wife,  who 
was  called  Signora  Jerolima,  betook  herself  to  the  Pope, 
and  threw  herself  upon  her  knees  before  him  in  the  presence 
of  several  cardinals.  She  pleaded  my  cause  so  warmly 
that  she  woke  the  Pope  to  shame  ; whereupon  he  said  ; 
“ For  your  sake  we  will  leave  him  quiet  ; yet  you  must 
know  that  we  had  no  ill-will  against  him.”  These  words  he 
spoke  because  of  the  cardinals  who  were  around  him,  and 
had  listened  to  the  eloquence  of  that  brave-spirited  lady. 

Meanwhile  I abode  in  extreme  discomfort,  and  my  heart 
kept  thumping  against  my  ribs.  Not  less  was  the  discom- 
fort of  the  men  appointed  to  discharge  the  evil  business  of 
my  execution  ; but  when  the  hour  for  dinner  was  already 
past,  they  betook  themselves  to  their  several  affairs,  and 
my  meal  was  also  served  me.  This  filled  me  with  a glad 

^ The  wife  of  Pier  Luigi  Farnese  was  Jeronima,  daughter  of  Luigi  Orsini, 
Count  of  Pitigliano. 


BOOK  FIRST 


235 


astonishment,  and  I exclaimed  : “For  once  truth  has  been 
stronger  than  the  malice  of  the  stars  ! I pray  God,  there- 
fore, that,  if  it  be  His  pleasure.  He  will  save  me  from  this 
fearful  peril/’  Then  I fell  to  eating  with  the  same  stout 
heart  for  my  salvation  as  I had  previously  prepared  for  my 
perdition.  I dined  well,  and  afterwards  remained  without 
seeing  or  hearing  any  one  until  an  hour  after  nightfall.  At 
that  time  the  Bargello  arrived  with  a large  part  of  his  guard, 
and  had  me  replaced  in  the  chair  which  brought  me  on  the 
previous  evening  to  the  prison.  He  spoke  very  kindly  to 
me,  bidding  me  be  under  no  apprehension  ; and  bade  his 
constables  take  good  care  not  to  strike  against  my  broken 
leg,  but  to  treat  me  as  though  I were  the  apple  of  their 
eye.  The  men  obeyed,  and  brought  me  to  the  castle  whence 
I had  escaped  ; then,  when  we  had  mounted  to  the  keep, 
they  left  me  shut  up  in  a dungeon  opening  upon  a little 
court  there  is  there. 


CXVII 

The  castellan,  meanwhile,  ill  and  afflicted  as  he  was,  had 
himself  transported  to  my  prison,  and  exclaimed:  “You 
see  that  I have  recaptured  you!”  “Yes,”  said  I,  “but  you 
see  that  I escaped,  as  I told  you  I would.  And  if  I had  not 
been  sold  by  a Venetian  Cardinal,  under  Papal  guarantee, 
for  the  price  of  a bishopric,  the  Pope  a Roman  and  a Farnese 
(and  both  of  them  have  scratched  with  impious  hands  the 
face  of  the  most  sacred  laws),  you  would  not  have  recovered 
me.  But  now  that  they  have  opened  this  vile  way  of 
dealing,  do  you  the  worst  you  can  in  your  turn  ; I care  for 
nothing  in  the  world.”  The  wretched  man  began  shouting 
at  the  top  of  his  voice : “ Ah,  woe  is  me  1 woe  is  me  1 It 
is  all  the  same  to  this  fellow  whether  he  lives  or  dies,  and 
behold,  he  is  more  fiery  than  when  he  was  in  health.  Put 
him  down  there  below  the  garden,  and  do  not  speak  to  me 
of  him  again,  for  he  is  the  destined  cause  of  my  death.” 

So  I was  taken  into  a gloomy  dungeon  below  the  level 
of  a garden,  which  swam  with  water,  and  was  full  of  big 
spiders  and  many  venomous  worms.  They  flung  me  a 
wretched  mattress  of  coarse  hemp,  gave  me  no  supper,  and 
locked  four  doors  upon  me.  In  that  condition  I abode 
until  the  nineteenth  hour  of  the  following  day.  Then  I 


236 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


received  food,  and  I requested  my  jailors  to  give  me  some 
of  my  books  to  read.  None  of  them  spoke  a word,  but 
they  referred  my  prayer  to  the  unfortunate  castellan,  who 
had  made  inquiries  concerning  what  I said.  Next  morning 
they  brought  me  an  Italian  Bible  which  belonged  to  me, 
and  a copy  of  the  Chronicles  of  Giovanni  Villani.^  When 
I asked  for  certain  other  of  my  books,  I was  told  that  I 
could  have  no  more,  and  that  I had  got  too  many  already. 

Thus,  then,  I continued  to  exist  in  misery  upon  that 
rotten  mattress,  which  in  three  days  soaked  up  water  like 
a sponge.  I could  hardly  stir  because  of  my  broken  leg  ; 
and  when  I had  to  get  out  of  bed  to  obey  a call  of  nature, 
I crawled  on  all  fours  with  extreme  distress,  in  order  not 
to  foul  the  place  I slept  in.  For  one  hour  and  a half  each 
day  I got  a little  glimmering  of  light,  which  penetrated  that 
unhappy  cavern  through  a very  narrow  aperture.  Only  for 
so  short  a space  of  time  could  I read  ; the  rest  of  the  day 
and  night  I abode  in  darkness,  enduring  my  lot,  nor  ever 
without  meditations  upon  God  and  on  our  human  frailty. 
I thought  it  certain  that  a few  more  days  would  put  an 
end  to  my  unlucky  life  in  that  sad  place  and  in  that  miserable 
manner.  Nevertheless,  as  well  as  I was  able,  I comforted 
my  soul  by  calling  to  mind  how  much  more  painful  it  would 
have  been,  on  passing  from  this  life,  to  have  suffered  that 
unimaginable  horror  of  the  hangman’s  knife.  Now,  being 
as  I was,  I should  depart  with  the  anodyne  of  sleepiness, 
which  robbed  death  of  half  its  former  terrors.  Little  by 
little  I felt  my  vital  forces  waning,  until  at  last  my  vigorous 
temperament  had  become  adapted  to  that  purgatory.  When 
I felt  it  quite  acclimatised,  I resolved  to  put  up  with  all 
those  indescribable  discomforts  so  long  as  it  held  out. 


CXVIII 

I began  the  Bible  from  the  commencement,  reading  and 
reflecting  on  it  so  devoutly,  and  finding  in  it  such  deep 
treasures  of  delight,  that,  if  I had  been  able,  I should  have 
done  naught  else  but  study  it.  However,  light  was  want- 
ing ; and  the  thought  of  all  my  troubles  kept  recurring  and 

1 This  mention  of  an  Italian  Bible  shows  that  we  are  still  in  the  days  before 
the  Council  of  Trent. 


BOOK  FIRST 


237 

gnawing  at  me  in  the  darkness,  until  I often  made  my 
mind  up  to  put  an  end  somehow  to  my  own  life.  They 
did  not  allow  me  a knife,  however,  and  so  it  was  no  easy 
matter  to  commit  suicide.  Once,  notwithstanding,  I took 
and  propped  a wooden  pole  I found  there,  in  position  like 
a trap.  I meant  to  make  it  topple  over  on  my  head,  and 
it  would  certainly  have  dashed  my  brains  out  ; but  when  I 
had  arranged  the  whole  machine,  and  was  approaching  to 
put  it  in  motion,  just  at  the  moment  of  my  setting  my  hand 
to  it,  I was  seized  by  an  invisible  power  and  flung  four 
cubits  from  the  spot,  in  such  a terror  that  I lay  half  dead. 
Like  that  I remained  from  dawn  until  the  nineteenth  hour, 
when  they  brought  my  food.  The  jailors  must  have  visited 
my  cell  several  times  without  my  taking  notice  of  them  ; 
for  when  at  last  I heard  them.  Captain  Sandrino  Monaldi  ^ 
had  entered,  and  I heard  him  saying:  “Ah,  unhappy  man  ! 
behold  the  end  to  which  so  rare  a genius  has  come ! ” 
Roused  by  these  words,  I opened  my  eyes,  and  caught 
sight  of  priests  with  long  gowns  on  their  backs,  who  were 
saying  : “ Oh,  you  told  us  he  was  dead  ! ” Bozza  replied  : 
“ Dead  I found  him,  and  therefore  I told  you  so.”  Then 
they  lifted  me  from  where  I lay,  and  after  shaking  up  the 
mattress,  which  was  now  as  soppy  as  a dish  of  maccaroni, 
they  flung  it  outside  the  dungeon.  The  castellan,  when 
these  things  were  reported  to  him,  sent  me  another  mat- 
tress. Thereafter,  when  I searched  my  memory  to  find 
what  could  have  diverted  me  from  that  design  of  suicide,  I 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  must  have  been  some  power 
divine  and  my  good  guardian  angel. 


CXIX 

During  the  following  night  there  appeared  to  me  in 
dreams  a marvellous  being  in  the  form  of  a most  lovely 
youth,  who  cried,  as  though  he  wanted  to  reprove  me  : 
“ Knowest  thou  who  lent  thee  that  body,  which  thou 
wouldst  have  spoiled  before  its  time  ? ” I seemed  to 
answer  that  I recognised  all  things  pertaining  to  me  as 
gifts  from  the  God  of  nature.  “So,  then,”  he  said,  “thou 

^ A Florentine,  banished  in  1530  for  having  been  in  arms  against  the 
Medici. 


238 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


hast  contempt  for  His  handiwork,  through  this  thy  will  to 
spoil  it  ? Commit  thyself  unto  His  guidance,  and  lose  not 
hope  in  His  great  goodness  ! ” Much  more  he  added,  in 
words  of  marvellous  efficacy,  the  thousandth  part  of  which 
I cannot  now  remember. 

I began  to  consider  that  the  angel  of  my  vision  spoke 
the  truth.  So  I cast  my  eyes  around  the  prison,  and  saw 
some  scraps  of  rotten  brick,  with  the  fragments  of  which, 
rubbing  one  against  the  other,  I composed  a paste.  Then, 
creeping  on  all  fours,  as  I was  compelled  to  go,  I crawled 
up  to  an  angle  of  my  dungeon  door,  and  gnawed  a splinter 
from  it  with  my  teeth.  Having  achieved  this  feat,  I waited 
till  the  light  came  on  my  prison  ; that  was  from  the  hour 
of  twenty  and  a half  to  twenty-one  and  a half.  When  it 
arrived,  I began  to  write,  the  best  I could,  on  some  blank 
pages  in  my  Bible,  and  rebuked  the  regents  of  my  intel- 
lectual self  for  being  too  impatient  to  endure  this  life  ; they 
replied  to  my  body  with  excuses  drawn  from  all  that  they 
had  suffered  ; and  the  body  gave  them  hope  of  better 
fortune.  To  this  effect,  then,  by  way  of  dialogue,  I wrote 
as  follows  : — 


Benvenuto  in  the  body. 

Afflicted  regents  of  my  soul ! 

Ah,  cruel  ye  ! have  ye- such  hate  of  life  ? 


The  Spirits  of  his  soul. 

If  Heaven  against  you  roll, 

Who  stands  for  us  ? who  saves  us  in  the  strife  ? 
Let  us,  O let  us  go  toward  better  life  ! 


Benvenuto. 

Nay,  go  not  yet  awhile  ! 

Ye  shall  be  happier  and  lighter  far  — 

Heaven  gives  this  hope — than  ye  were  ever  yet ! 

The  Spirits, 

We  will  remain  some  little  while. 

If  only  by  great  God  you  promised  are 
Such  grace  that  no  worse  woes  on  us  be  set. 


BOOK  FIRST 


239 


After  this  I recovered  strength  ; and  'when  I had  heartened 
up  m3^self,  I continued  reading  in  the  Bible,  and  my  eyes 
became  so  used  to  that  darkness  that  Fcould  now  read  for 
three  hours  instead  of  the  bare  hour  and  a half  I was  able 
to  employ  before. 

With  profound  astonishment  I dwelt  upon  the  force  of 
God’s  Spirit  in  those  men  of  great  simplicity,  who  believed 
so  fervently  that  He  would  bring  all  their  heart’s  desire  to 
pass.  I then  proceeded  to  reckon  in  my  own  case  too  on 
God’s  assistance,  both  because  of  His  divine  power  and 
mercy,  and  also  because  of  my  own  innocence  ; and  at  all 
hours,  sometimes  in  prayer  and  sometimes  in  communion 
with  God,  I abode  in  those  high  thoughts  of  Him.  There 
flowed  into  my  soul  so  powerful  a delight  from  these  re- 
flections upon  God,  that  I took  no  further  thought  for  all 
the  anguish  I had  suffered,  but  rather  spent  the  day  in 
singing  psalms  and  divers  other  compositions  on  the  theme 
ot  His  divinity. 

I was  greatly  troubled,  however,  by  one  particular  annoy- 
ance : my  nails  had  grown  so  long  that  I could  not  touch 
my  body  without  wounding  it ; I could  not  dress  myself 
but  what  they  turned  inside  or  out,  to  my  great  torment. 
Moreover,  my  teeth  began  to  perish  in  my  mouth.  I be- 
came aware  of  this  because  the  dead  teeth  being  pushed 
out  by  the  living  ones,  my  gums  were  gradually  perforated, 
and  the  points  of  the  roots  pierced  through  the  tops  of 
their  cases.  When  I was  aware  of  this,  I used  to  pull  one 
out,  as  though  it  were  a weapon  from  a scabbard,  without 
any  pain  or  loss  of  blood.  Very  many  of  them  did  I lose 
in  this  way.  Nevertheless,  I accommodated  myself  to  these 
new  troubles  also  ; at  times  I sang,  at  times  I prayed,  and 
at  times  I wrote  by  means  of  the  paste  of  brick-dust  I 
have  described  above.  At  this  time  I began  composing  a 
Capitolo  in  praise  of  my  prison,  relating  in  it  all  the 
accidents  which  had  befallen  me.  ^ This  poem  I mean  to 
insert  in  its  proper  place. 

^ Capitolo  is  the  technical  name  for  a copy  of  verses  in  terza  ritna  on  a 
chosen  theme.  Poems  of  this  kind,  mostly  burlesque  or  satirical,  were  very 
popular  in  Cellini’s  age.  They  used  to  be  written  on  trifling  or  obscene  sub- 
jects in  a mock-heroic  style.  Berni  stamped  the  character  of  high  art  upon 
the  species,  which  had  long  been  in  use  among  the  unlettered  vulgar.  See 
for  further  particulars  Symonds’  Renaissance  in  Italy^  voL  v.  chap.  xiv. 


240 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


CXX 

The  good  castellan  used  frequently  to  send  messengers  to 
find  out  secretly  what  I was  doing.  So  it  happened  on  the 
last  day  of  July  that  I was  rejoicing  greatly  by  myself 
alone  while  I bethought  me  of  the  festival  they  keep  in 
Rome  upon  the  ist  of  August ; and  I was  saying  to  myself  : 
“In  former  years  I kept  the  feast  among  the  pleasures  and 
the  frailties  of  the  world  ; this  year  I shall  keep  it  in  com- 
munion with  God.  Oh,  how  far  more  happy  am  I thus 
than  I was  then  ! ” The  persons  v/ho  heard  me  speak  these 
words  reported  them  to  the  castellan.  He  was  greatly 
annoyed,  and  exclaimed  : “ Ah,  God  ! that  fellow  lives  and 
triumphs  in  his  infinite  distress,  while  I lack  all  things  in 
the  midst  of  comfort,  and  am  dying  only  on  account  of  him  ! 
Go  quickly,  and  fling  him  into  that  deepest  of  the  subter- 
ranean dungeons  where  the  preacher  Foiano  was  starved  to 
death.  1 Perhaps  when  he  finds  himself  in  such  ill  plight 
he  will  begin  to  droop  his  crest.” 

Captain  Sandrino  Monaldi  came  at  once  into  my  prison 
with  about  twenty  of  the  castellan’s  servants.  They  found 
me  on  my  knees  ; and  I did  not  turn  at  their  approach, 
but  went  on  paying  my  orisons  before  a God  the  Father, 
surrounded  with  angels,  and  a Christ  arising  victorious  from 
the  grave,  which  I had  sketched  upon  the  wall  with  a little 
piece  of  charcoal  I had  found  covered  up  with  earth.  This 
was  after  I had  lain  four  months  upon  my  back  in  bed  with 
my  leg  broken,  and  had  so  often  dreamed  that  angels  came 
and  ministered  to  me,  that  at  the  end  of  those  four  months 
the  limb  became  as  sound  as  though  it  never  had  been 
fractured.  So  then  these  fellows  entered,  all  in  armour, 
as  fearful  of  me  as  though  I were  a poison-breathing  dragon. 
The  captain  spoke  as  follows:  “You  must  be  aware  that 
there  are  many  of  us  here,  and  our  entrance  has  made  a 
tumult  in  this  place,  yet  you  do  not  turn  round.”  When 
I heard  these  words,  I was  well  able  to  conceive  what  greater 


^ Fra  Benedetto  da  Foiano  had  incurred  the  wrath  of  Pope  Clement  VII. 
by  preaching  against  the  Medici  in  Florence.  He  was  sent  to  Rome  and  im- 
prisoned in  a noisome  dungeon  of  S.  Angelo  in  the  year  1530,  where  Clement 
made  him  perish  miserably  by  diminishing  his  food  and  water  daily  till  he  died. 
See  Varchi’s  Storia  Fiorentina,  lib.  xii.  chap.  4, 


BOOK  FIRST 


241 


harm  might  happen  to  me  ; but  being  used  and  hardened 
to  misfortune,  I said  to  them  : “ Unto  this  God  who  supports 
me,  to  Him  in  heaven  I have  turned  my  soul,  my  contempla- 
tion, and  all  my  vital  spirits ; to  you  I have  turned  precisely 
what  belongs  to  you.  What  there  is  of  good  in  me,  you 
are  not  worthy  to  behold,  nor  can  you  touch  it.  Do  then 
to  that  which  is  under  your  control  all  the  evil  you  are 
able.”  The  captain,  in  some  alarm,  and  not  knowing  what 
I might  be  on  the  point  of  doing,  said  to  four  of  his  tallest 
fellows  : “ Put  all  your  arms  aside.”  When  they  had  done  so, 
he  added  ; “ Now  upon  the  instant  leap  on  him,  and  secure 
him  well.  Do  you  think  he  is  the  devil,  that  so  many  of  us 
should  be  afraid  of  him  ? Hold  him  tight  now,  that  he  may 
not  escape  you.”  Seized  by  them  with  force  and  roughly 
handled,  and  anticipating  something  far  worse  than  what 
afterwards  happened,  I lifted  my  eyes  to  Christ  and  said  : 
“ Oh,  just  God,  Thou  paidest  all  our  debts  upon  that  high- 
raised  cross  of  Thine  ; wherefore  then  must  my  innocence 
be  made  to  pay  the  debts  of  whom  I do  not  even  know  ? 
Nevertheless,  Thy  will  be  done.”  Meanwhile  the  men  were 
carrying  me  away  with  a great  lighted  torch  ; and  I thought 
that  they  were  about  to  throw  me  down  the  oubliette  of 
Sammabo.  This  was  the  name  given  to  a fearful  place  which 
had  swallowed  many  men  alive  ; for  when  they  are  cast  into  it, 
they  fall  to  the  bottom  of  a deep  pit  in  the  foundations  of  the 
castle.  This  did  not,  however,  happen  to  me  ; wherefore 
I thought  that  I had  made  a very  good  bargain  when  they 
placed  me  in  that  hideous  dungeon  I have  spoken  of,  where 
Fra  Foiano  died  of  hunger,  and  left  me  there  without  doing 
me  further  injury. 

When  I was  alone,  I began  to  sing  a De  profundis  clamavi^ 
a Miserere^  and  In  te  Domine  speravi.  During  the  whole  of 
that  first  day  of  August  I kept  festival  with  God,  my  heart 
rejoicing  ever  in  the  strength  of  hope  and  faith.  On  the 
second  day  they  drew  me  from  that  hole,  and  took  me  back 
again  to  the  prison  where  I had  drawn  those  representations 
of  God.  On  arriving  there,  the  sight  of  them  filled  me  with 
such  sweetness  and  such  gladness  that  I wept  abundantly. 
On  every  day  that  followed,  the  castellan  sent  to  know  what 
1 was  doing  and  saying.  The  Pope,  who  had  heard  the 
whole  history  (and  I must  add  that  the  doctors  had  already 
given  the  castellan  over),  spoke  as  follows  : Before  my 

Q 


242 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


castellan  dies  I Vv^ill  let  him  put  that  Benvenuto  to  death 
in  any  way  he  likes,  for  he  is  the  cause  of  his  death,  and  so 
the  good  man  shall  not  die  unrevenged.’’  On  hearing  these 
words  from  the  mouth  of  Duke  Pier  Luigi,  the  castellan 
replied  : “ So,  then,  the  Pope  has  given  me  Benvenuto,  and 
wishes  me  to  take  my  vengeance  on  him  ? Dismiss  the 
matter  from  your  mind,  and  leave  me  to  act.”  If  the 
heart  of  the  Pope  was  ill-disposed  against  me,  that  of  the 
castellan  was  now  at  the  commencement  savage  and  cruel 
in  the  extreme.  At  this  juncture  the  invisible  being  who 
had  diverted  me  from  my  intention  of  suicide,  came  to 
me,  being  still  invisible,  but  with  a clear  voice,  and  shook 
me,  and  made  me  rise,  and  said  to  me  : “Ah  me  ! my 
Benvenuto,  quick,  quick,  betake  thyself  to  God  with  thy 
accustomed  prayers,  and  cry  out  loudly,  loudly!”  In  a 
sudden  consternation  I fell  upon  my  knees,  and  recited 
several  of  my  prayers  in  a loud  voice  ; after  this  I said  Qui 
habitat  in  adjutorio;  then  I communed  a space  with  God  ; 
and  in  an  instant  the  same  clear  and  open  voice  said  to  me  : 
“ Go  to  rest,  and  have  no  further  fear  1 ” The  meaning  of  this 
was,  that  the  castellan,  after  giving  the  most  cruel  orders 
for  my  death,  suddenly  countermanded  them,  and  said : 
“ Is  not  this  Benvenuto  the  man  whom  I have  so  warmly 
defended,  whom  I know  of  a surety  to  be  innocent,  and 
who  has  been  so  greatly  wronged  ? Oh,  how  will  God  have 
mercy  on  me  and  my  sins  if  I do  not  pardon  those 
who  have  done  me  the  greatest  injuries  ? Oh,  why  should 
I injure  a man  both  worthy  and  innocent,  who  has  only 
done  me  services  and  honour  ? Go  to  ! instead  of  killing 
him,  I give  him  life  and  liberty : and  in  my  will  I’ll 
have  it  written  that  none  shall  demand  of  him  the  heavy 
debt  for  his  expenses  here  which  he  would  elsewise 
have  to  pay.”  This  the  Pope  heard,  and  took  it  very  ill 
indeed. 


CXXI 

I meanwhile  continued  to  pray  as  usual,  and  to  write 
my  Capitolo,  and  every  night  1 was  visited  with  the 
gladdest  and  most  pleasant  dreams  that  could  be  possibly 
imagined.  It  seemed  to  me  while  dreaming  that  I was 


BOOK  FIRST 


243 


always  in  the  visible  company  of  that  being  whose  voice 
and  touch,  while  he  was  still  invisible,  I had  so  often  felt. 
To  him  I made  but  one  request,  and  this  I urged  most 
earnestly,  namely,  that  he  would  bring  me  where  I could 
behold  the  sun.  I told  him  that  this  was  the  sole  desire 
I had,  and  that  if  I could  but  see  the  sun  once  only,  I 
should  die  contented.  All  the  disagreeable  circumstances 
of  my  prison  had  become,  as  it  were,  to  me  friendly  and 
companionable ; not  one  of  them  gave  me  annoyance. 
Nevertheless,  I ought  to  say  that  the  castellan’s  parasites, 
who  were  waiting  for  him  to  hang  me  from  the  battlement 
whence  I had  made  my  escape,  when  they  saw  that  he 
had  changed  his  mind  to  the  exact  opposite  of  what 
he  previously  threatened,  were  unable  to  endure  the 
disappointment.  Accordingly,  they  kept  continually  try- 
ing to  inspire  me  with  the  fear  of  imminent  death  by 
means  of  various  terrifying  hints.  But,  as  I have  already 
said,  I had  become  so  well  acquainted  with  troubles  of 
this  sort  that  I was  incapable  of  fear,  and  nothing  any 
longer  could  disturb  me ; only  I had  that  one  great 
longing  to  behold  the  sphere  of  the  sun,  if  only  in  a 
dream. 

Thus  then,  while  I spent  many  hours  a day  in  prayer 
with  deep  emotion  of  the  spirit  toward  Christ,  I used 
always  to  say  : “ Ah,  very  Son  of  God  ! I pray  Thee  by 

Thy  birth,  by  Thy  death  upon  the  cross,  and  by  Thy 
glorious  resurrection,  that  Thou  wilt  deign  to  let  me  see 
the  sun,  if  not  otherwise,  at  least  in  dreams.  But  if  Thou 
wilt  grant  me  to  behold  it  with  these  mortal  eyes  of  mine, 
I engage  myself  to  come  and  visit  Thee  at  Thy  holy 
sepulchre.”  This  vow  and  these  my  greatest  prayers  to 
God  I made  upon  the  2nd  of  October  in  the  year  1539. 
Upon  the  following  morning,  which  was  the  3rd  of 
October,  I woke  at  daybreak,  perhaps  an  hour  before 
the  rising  of  the  sun.  Dragging  myself  from  the  miser- 
able lair  in  which  I lay,  I put  some  clothes  on,  for  it 
had  begun  to  be  cold ; then  I prayed  more  devoutly 
than  ever  I had  done  in  the  past,  fervently  imploring 
Christ  that  He  would  at  least  grant  me  the  favour  of 
knowing  by  divine  inspiration  what  sin  I was  so  sorely 
expiating  ; and  since  His  Divine  Majesty  had  not  deemed 
me  worthy  of  beholding  the  sun  even  in  a dream 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


244 

I besought  Him  to  let  me  know  the  cause  of  my  pun- 
ishment. 

CXXII 

I had  barely  uttered  these  words,  when  that  invisible 
being,  like  a whirlwind,  caught  me  up  and  bore  me  away 
into  a large  room,  where  he  made  himself  visible  to  my 
eyes  in  human  form,  appearing  like  a young  man  whose 
beard  is  just  growing,  with  a face  of  indescribable  beauty,  but 
austere,  not  wanton.  He  bade  me  look  around  the  room, 
and  said:  “The  crowd  of  men  thou  seest  in  this  place  are 
all  those  who  up  to  this  day  have  been  born  and  afterwards 
have  died  upon  the  earth.”  Thereupon  I asked  him  why 
he  brought  me  hither,  and  he  answered  : “ Come  with  me 
and  thou  shalt  soon  behold.”  In  my  hand  I had  a poniard, 
and  upon  my  back  a coat  of  mail ; and  so  he  led  me  through 
that  vast  hall,  pointing  out  the  people  who  were  walking 
by  innumerable  thousands  up  and  down,  this  way  and  that. 
He  led  me  onward,  and  went  forth  in  front  of  me  through 
a little  low  door  into  a place  which  looked  like  a narrow 
street ; and  when  he  drew  me  after  him  into  the  street,  at 
the  moment  of  leaving  the  hall,  behold  I was  disarmed  and 
clothed  in  a white  shirt,  with  nothing  on  my  head,  and  I 
was  walking  on  the  right  hand  of  my  companion.  Finding 
myself  in  this  condition,  I was  seized  with  wonder,  because 
I did  not  recognise  the  street ; and  when  I lifted  my  eyes, 
I discerned  that  the  splendour  of  the  sun  was  striking  on  a 
wall,  as  it  were  a house-front,  just  above  my  head.  Then  I 
said  : “ Oh,  my  friend  ! what  must  I do  in  order  to  be  able 
to  ascend  so  high  that  I may  gaze  upon  the  sphere  of  the 
sun  himself?'^  He  pointed  out  some  huge  stairs  which 
were  on  my  right  hand,  and  said  to  me  : “Go  up  thither  by 
thyself.”  Quitting  his  side,  I ascended  the  stairs  backwards, 
and  gradually  began  to  come  within  the  region  of  the  sun- 
light. Then  I hastened  my  steps,  and  went  on,  always 
walking  backwards  as  I have  described,  until  I discovered 
the  whole  sphere  of  the  sun.  The  strength  of  his  rays,  as 
is  their  wont,  hrst  made  me  close  my  eyes  ; but  becoming 
aware  of  my  misdoing,  I opened  them  wide,  and  gazing 
steadfastly  at  the  sun,  exclaimed  : “ Oh,  my  sun,  for  whom 
I have  so  passionately  yearned  ! Albeit  your  rays  may  blind 


BOOK  FIRST 


245 


me,  I do  not  wish  to  look  on  anything  again  but  this  ! So 
I stayed  awhile  with  my  eyes  fixed  steadily  on  him ; and 
after  a brief  space  I beheld  in  one  moment  the  whole  might 
of  those  great  burning  rays  fling  themselves  upon  the  left 
side  of  the  sun  ; so  that  the  orb  remained  quite  clear  without 
its  rays,  and  I was  able  to  contemplate  it  with  vast  delight. 
It  seemed  to  me  something  marvellous  that  the  rays  should 
be  removed  in  that  manner.  Then  I reflected  what  divine 
grace  it  was  which  God  had  granted  me  that  morning, 
and  cried  aloud  : “ Oh,  wonderful  Thy  power ! oh,  glorious 
Thy  virtue  ! How  far  greater  is  the  grace  which  Thou  art 
granting  me  than  that  which  I expected  ! ” The  sun  with- 
out his  rays  appeared  to  me  to  be  a bath  of  the  purest  molten 
gold,  neither  more  nor  less.  While  I stood  contemplating 
this  wondrous  thing,  I noticed  that  the  middle  of  the  sphere 
began  to  swell,  and  the  swollen  surface  grew,  and  suddenly 
a Christ  upon  the  cross  formed  itself  out  of  the  same  sub- 
stance as  the  sun.  He  bore  the  aspect  of  divine  benignity, 
with  such  fair  grace  that  the  mind  of  man  could  not  conceive 
the  thousandth  part  of  it ; and  while  I gazed  in  ecstasy,  I 
shouted  : “A  miracle  ! a miracle  ! O God ! O clemency 
Divine  ! O immeasurable  Goodness  ! what  is  it  Thou  hast 
deigned  this  day  to  show  me  ! ” While  I was  gazing  and 
exclaiming  thus,  the  Christ  moved  toward  that  part  where 
his  rays  were  settled,  and  the  middle  of  the  sun  once  more 
bulged  out  as  it  had  done  before  ; the  boss  expanded,  and 
suddenly  transformed  itself  into  the  shape  of  a most  beautiful 
Madonna,  who  appeared  to  be  sitting  enthroned  on  high, 
holding  her  child  in  her  arms  with  an  attitude  of  the  greatest 
charm  and  a smile  upon  her  face.  On  each  side  of  her  was 
an  angel,  whose  beauty  far  surpasses  man’s  imagination. 
I also  saw  within  the  rondure  of  the  sun,  upon  the  right 
hand,  a figure  robed  like  a priest ; this  turned  its  back  to 
me,  and  kept  its  face  directed  to  the  Madonna  and  the  Christ. 
All  these  things  I beheld,  actual,  clear,  and  vivid,  and  kept 
returning  thanks  to  the  glory  of  God  as  loud  as  I was  able. 
The  marvellous  apparition  remained  before  me  little  more 
than  half  a quarter  of  an  hour  ; then  it  dissolved,  and  I was 
carried  back  to  my  dark  lair. 

I began  at  once  to  shout  aloud : “ The  virtue  of  God  hath 
deigned  to  show  me  all  His  glory,  the  which  perchance  no 
mortal  eye  hath  ever  seen  before.  Therefore  I know  surely 


246 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


that  I am  free  and  fortunate  and  in  the  grace  of  God  ; but 
you  miscreants  shall  be  miscreants  still,  accursed,  and  in 
the  wrath  of  God.  Mark  this,  for  I am  certain  of  it,  that 
on  the  day  of  All  Saints,  the  day  upon  which  I was  born 
in  1500,  on  the  first  of  November,  at  four  hours  after  night- 
fall, on  that  day  which  is  coming  you  will  be  forced  to  lead 
me  from  this  gloomy  dungeon  ; less  than  this  you  will  not 
be  able  to  do,  because  I have  seen  it  with  these  eyes  of 
mine  and  in  that  throne  of  God.  The  priest  who  kept  his 
face  turned  to  God  and  his  back  to  me,  that  priest  was 
S.  Peter,  pleading  my  cause,  for  the  shame  he  felt  that  such 
foul  wrongs  should  be  done  to  Christians  in  his  own  house. 
You  may  go  and  tell  it  to  whom  you  like  ; for  none  on 
earth  has  the  power  to  do  me  harm  henceforward  ; and  tell 
that  lord  who  keeps  me  here,  that  if  he  will  give  me  wax  or 
paper  and  the  means  of  portraying  this  glory  of  God  which 
was  revealed  to  me,  most  assuredly  shall  I convince  him  of 
that  which  now  perhaps  he  holds  in  doubt/' 


CXXIII 

The  physicians  gave  the  castellan  no  hope  of  his  recovery, 
yet  he  remained  with  a clear  intellect,  and  the  humours 
which  used  to  afflict  him  every  year  had  passed  away.  He 
devoted  himself  entirely  to  the  care  of  his  soul,  and  his 
conscience  seemed  to  smite  him,  because  he  felt  that  I had 
suffered  and  was  suffering  a grievous  wrong.  The  Pope 
received  information  from  him  of  the  extraordinary  things 
which  I related  ; in  answer  to  which  his  Holiness  sent  word 
— as  one  who  had  no  faith  either  m God  or  aught  beside — 
that  I was  mad,  and  that  he  must  do  his  best  to  mend  his 
health.  When  the  castellan  received  this  message,  he  sent 
to  cheer  me  up,  and  furnished  me  with  writing  materials 
and  wax,  and  certain  little  wooden  instruments  employed  in 
working  wax,  adding  many  words  of  courtesy,  which  were 
reported  by  one  of  his  servants  who  bore  me  good-will.  This 
man  was  totally  the  opposite  of  that  rascally  gang  who  had 
wished  to  see  me  hanged.  I took  the  paper  and  the  wax, 
and  began  to  work  ; and  while  I was  working  I wrote  the 
following  sonnet  addressed  to  the  castellan  : — 


BOOK  FIRST 


247 


“ If  I,  my  lord,  could  show  to  you  the  truth, 

Of  that  Eternal  Light  to  me  by  Heaven 
In  this  low  life  revealed,  you  sure  had  given 
More  heed  to  mine  than  to  a monarch’s  sooth. 

Ah  ! could  the  Pastor  of  Christ’s  flock  in  ruth 

Believe  how  God  this  soul  with  sight  hath  shriven 
Of  glory  unto  which  no  wight  hath  striven 
Ere  he  escaped  earth’s  cave  of  care  uncouth  ; 

The  gates  of  Justice,  holy  and  austere, 

Would  roll  asunder,  and  rude  impious  Rage 

Fall  chained  with  shrieks  that  should  assail  the  skies. 

Had  I but  light,  ah  me  ! my  art  should  rear 
A monument  of  Heaven’s  high  equipage  ! 

Nor  should  my  misery  bear  so  grim  a guise.” 


CXXIV 

On  the  following  day,  when  the  servant  of  the  castellan 
who  was  my  friend  brought  me  my  food,  I gave  him  this 
sonnet  copied  out  in  writing.  Without  informing  the  other 
ill-disposed  servants  who  were  my  enemies,  he  handed  it  to 
the  castellan.  At  that  time  this  worthy  man  would  gladly 
have  granted  me  my  liberty,  because  he  fancied  that  the 
great  wrong  done  to  me  was  a main  cause  of  his  death.  He 
took  the  sonnet,  and  having  read  it  more  than  once,  ex- 
claimed : “ These  are  neither  the  words  nor  the  thoughts 
of  a madman,  but  rather  of  a sound  and  worthy  fellow.” 
Without  delay  he  ordered  his  secretary  to  take  it  to  the 
Pope,  and  place  it  in  his  own  hands,  adding  a request  for 
my  deliverance. 

While  the  secretary  was  on  his  way  with  my  sonnet  to 
the  Pope,  the  castellan  sent  me  lights  for  day  and  night, 
together  with  all  the  conveniences  one  could  wish  for  in  that 
place.  The  result  of  this  was  that  I began  to  recover  from 
my  physical  depression,  which  had  reached  a very  serious 
degree. 

The  Pope  read  the  sonnet  several  times.  Then  he  sent 
word  to  the  castellan  that  he  meant  presently  to  do  what 
would  be  pleasing  to  him.  Certainly  the  Pope  had  no  un- 


248 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


willingness  to  release  me  then  ; but  Signor  Pier  Luigi,  his 
son,  as  it  were  in  the  Pope’s  despite,  kept  me  there  by 
force. 

The  death  of  the  castellan  was  drawing  near  ; and  while 
I was  engaged  in  drawing  and  modelling  that  miracle  which 
I had  seen,  upon  the  morning  of  All  Saints’  day  he  sent 
his  nephew,  Piero  Ugolini,  to  show  me  certain  jewels.  No 
sooner  had  I set  eyes  on  them  than  I exclaimed  : “ This 
is  the  countersign  of  my  deliverance  ! ” Then  the  young 
man,  who  was  not  a person  of  much  intelligence,  began  to 
say:  “Never  think  of  that,  Benvenuto!”  I replied:  “Take 
your  gems  away,  for  I am  so  treated  here  that  I have  no 
light  to  see  by  except  what  this  murky  cavern  gives,  and 
that  is  not  enough  to  test  the  quality  of  precious  stones. 
But,  as  regards  my  deliverance  from  this  dungeon,  the  day 
will  not  end  before  you  come  to  fetch  me  out.  It  shall  and 
must  be  so,  and  you  will  not  be  able  to  prevent  it.”  The 
man  departed,  and  had  me  locked  in  ; but  after  he  had 
remained  away  two  hours  by  the  clock,  he  returned  with- 
out armed  men,  bringing  only  a couple  of  lads  to  assist 
my  movements  ; so  after  this  fashion  he  conducted  me  to 
the  spacious  rooms  which  I had  previously  occupied  (that 
is  to  sa}^,  in  1538),  where  I obtained  all  the  conveniences  I 
asked  for. 


CXXV 

After  the  lapse  of  a few  days,  the  castellan,  who  now 
believed  that  I was  at  large  and  free,  succumbed  to  his 
disease  and  departed  this  life.  In  his  room  remained  his 
brother,  Messer  Antonio  Ugolini,  who  had  informed  the 
deceased  governor  that  I was  duly  released.  From  what  I 
learned,  this  Messer  Antonio  received  commission  from  the 
Pope  to  let  me  occupy  that  commodious  prison  until  he 
had  decided  what  to  do  with  me. 

Messer  Durante  of  Brescia,  whom  I have  previously 
mentioned,  engaged  the  soldier  (formerly  druggist  of  Prato) 
to  administer  some  deadly  liquor  in  my  food  ; ^ the  poison 
was  to  work  slowly,  producing  its  effect  at  the  end  of  four 
or  five  months.  They  resolved  on  mixing  pounded  diamond 

1 For  Messer  Durante,  see  above,  p.  180.  For  the  druggist  of  Prato  em- 
ployed as  a warder  in  S.  Angelo,  see  above,  p.  218. 


BOOK  FIRST 


249 


with  my  victuals.  Now  the  diamond  is  not  a poison  in 
any  true  sense  of  the  word,  but  its  incomparable  hardness 
enables  it,  unlike  ordinary  stones,  to  retain  very  acute 
angles.  When  every  other  stone  is  pounded,  that  extreme 
sharpness  of  edge  is  lost  ; their  fragments  becoming  blunt 
and  rounded.  The  diamond  alone  preserves  its  trenchant 
qualities ; wherefore,  if  it  chances  to  enter  the  stomach 
together  with  food,  the  peristaltic  motion^  needful  to 
digestion  brings  it  into  contact  with  the  coats  of  the 
stomach  and  the  bowels,  where  it  sticks,  and  by  the 
action  of  fresh  food  forcing  it  farther  inwards,  after  some 
time  perforates  the  organs.  This  eventually  causes  death. 
Any  other  sort  of  stone  or  glass  mingled  with  the  food  has 
not  the  power  to  attach  itself,  but  passes  onward  with  the 
victuals.  Now  Messer  Durante  entrusted  a diamond  of 
trifling  value  to  one  of  the  guards ; and  it  is  said  that 
a certain  Lione,  a goldsmith  of  Arezzo,  my  great  enemy, 
was  commissioned  to  pound  it.^  The  man  happened  to 
be  very  poor,  and  the  diamond  was  worth  perhaps  some 
scores  of  crowns.  He  told  the  guard  that  the  dust  he 
gave  him  back  was  the  diamond  in  question  properly 
ground  down.  The  morning  when  I took  it,  they  mixed 
it  with  all  I had  to  eat ; it  was  a Friday,  and  I had  it  in 
salad,  sauce,  and  pottage.  That  morning  I ate  heartily, 
for  I had  fasted  on  the  previous  evening ; and  this  day  was 
a festival.  It  is  true  that  I felt  the  victuals  scrunch  beneath 
my  teeth  ; but  I was  not  thinking  about  knaveries  of  this 
sort.  When  I had  finished,  some  scraps  of  salad  remained 
upon  my  plate,  and  certain  very  fine  and  glittering  splinters 
caught  my  eye  among  these  remnants.  I collected  them, 
and  took  them  to  the  window,  which  let  a flood  of  light 
into  the  room  ; and  while  I was  examining  them,  I re- 
membered that  the  food  I ate  that  morning  had  scrunched 
more  than  usual.  On  applying  my  senses  strictly  to  the 
matter,  the  verdict  of  my  eyesight  was  that  they  were 
certainly  fragments  of  pounded  diamond.  Upon  this  I 
gave  myself  up  without  doubt  as  dead,  and  in  my  sorrow 

^ In  quel  girare  che  e'  fanno  e’  cibi.  I have  for  the  sake  of  clearness  used 
the  technical  phrase  above. 

^ The  name  of  Leone  Leoni  is  otherwise  known  as  a goldsmith  and  bronze- 
caster.  He  made  the  tomb  for  Giangiacomo  de’  Medici,  II  Medighino,  in 
the  Cathedral  of  Milan. 


250 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


had  recourse  with  pious  heart  to  holy  prayers.  I had  re- 
solved -the  question,  and  thought  that  I was  doomed.  For 
the  space  of  a whole  hour  I prayed  fervently  to  God,  re- 
turning thanks  to  Him  for  so  merciful  a death.  Since 
my  stars  had  sentenced  me  to  die,  I thought  it  no  bad 
bargain  to  escape  from  life  so  easily.  I was  resigned,  and 
blessed  the  world  and  all  the  years  which  I had  passed  in 
it.  Now  I was  returning  to  a better  kingdom  with  the 
grace  of  God,  the  which  I thought  I had  most  certainly 
acquired. 

While  I stood  revolving  these  thoughts  in  my  mind,  I 
held  in  my  hand  some  flimsy  particles  of  the  reputed 
diamond,  which  of  a truth  I firmly  believed  to  be  such. 
Now  hope  is  immortal  in  the  human  breast ; therefore  I felt 
myself,  as  it  were,  lured  onward  by  a gleam  of  idle  expecta- 
tion. According^,  I took  up  a little  knife  and  a few  of 
those  particles,  and  placed  them  on  an  iron  bar  of  my  prison. 
Then  I brought  the  knife’s  point  with  a slow  strong  grind- 
ing pressure  to  bear  upon  the  stone,  and  felt  it  crumble. 
Examining  the  substance  with  my  eyes,  I saw  that  it  was 
so.  In  a moment  new  hope  took  possession  of  my  soul, 
and  I exclaimed  : “ Here  I do  not  find  my  true  foe,  Messer 
Durante,  but  a piece  of  bad  soft  stone,  which  cannot  do  me 
any  harm  whatever  ! ” Previously  I had  been  resolved  to 
remain  quiet  and  to  die  in  peace  ; now  I revolved  other 
plans  ; but  first  I rendered  thanks  to  God  and  blessed 
poverty  ; for  though  poverty  is  oftentimes  the  cause  of 
bringing  men  to  death,  on  this  occasion  it  had  been  the 
very  cause  of  my  salvation.  I mean  in  this  way  : Messer 
Durante,  my  enemy,  or  whoever  it  was,  gave  a diamond  to 
Lione  to  pound  for  me  of  the  worth  of  more  than  a hundred 
crowns  ; poverty  induced  him  to  keep  this  for  himself,  and 
to  pound  for  me  a greenish  beryl  of  the  value  of  two  carlins, 
thinking  perhaps,  because  it  also  was  a stone,  that  it  would 
work  the  same  effect  as  the  diamond. 


CXXVI 

At  this  time  the  Bishop  of  Pavia,  brother  of  the  Count 
of  San  Secondo,  and  commonly  called  Monsignor  de’  Rossi 
of  Parma,  happened  to  be  imprisoned  in  the  castle  for  some 


BOOK  FIRST 


251 


troublesome  affairs  at  Pavia.^  Knowing  him  to  be  my  friend, 
I thrust  my  head  out  of  the  hole  in  my  cell,  and  called  him 
with  a loud  voice,  crying  that  those  thieves  had  given  me  a 
pounded  diamond  with  the  intention  of  killing  me.  I also 
sent  some  of  the  splinters  which  I had  preserved,  by  the 
hand  of  one  of  his  servants,  for  him  to  see.  I did  not 
disclose  my  discovery  that  the  stone  was  not  a diamond, 
but  told  him  that  they  had  most  assuredly  poisoned  me, 
after  the  death  of  that  most  worthy  man  the  castellan. 
During  the  short  space  of  time  I had  to  live,  I begged  him 
to  allow  me  one  loaf  a day  from  his  own  stores,  seeing  that 
I had  resolved  to  eat  nothing  which  came  from  them.  To 
this  request  he  answered  that  he  would  supply  me  with 
victuals. 

Messer  Antonio,  who  was  certainly  not  cognisant  of  the 
plot  against  my  life,  stirred  up  a great  noise,  and  demanded 
to  see  the  pounded  stone,  being  also  persuaded  that  it  was 
a diamond  ; but  on  reflection  that  the  Pope  was  probably 
at  the  bottom  of  the  affair,  he  passed  it  over  lightly  after 
giving  his  attention  to  the  incident. 

Henceforth  I ate  the  victuals  sent  me  by  the  Bishop, 
and  continued  writing  my  Capitolo  on  the  prison,  into  which 
I inserted  daily  all  the  new  events  which  happened  to  me, 
point  by  point.  But  Messer  Antonio  also  sent  me  food  ; 
and  he  did  this  by  the  hand  of  that  Giovanni  of  Prato,  the 
druggist,  then  soldier  in  the  castle,  whom  I have  previously 
mentioned.  He  was  a deadly  foe  of  mine,  and  was  the  man 
who  had  administered  the  powdered  diamond.  So  I told 
him  that  I would  partake  of  nothing  he  brought  me  unless 
he  tasted  it  before  my  eyes.^  The  man  replied  that  Popes 
have  their  meat  tasted.  I answered  : “ Noblemen  are  bound 
to  taste  the  meat  for  Popes  ; in  like  measure,  you,  soldier, 
druggist,  peasant  from  Prato,  are  bound  to  taste  the  meat 
for  a Florentine  of  my  station.’’  He  retorted  with  coarse 
words,  which  I was  not  slow  to  pay  back  in  kind. 

Now  Messer  Antonio  felt  a certain  shame  for  his  behaviour  ; 
he  had  it  also  in  his  mind  to  make  me  pay  the  costs  which 
the  late  castellan,  poor  man,  remitted  in  my  favour.  So  he 
hunted  out  another  of  his  servants,  who  was  my  friend,  and 

^ Gio.  Girolamo  de’  Rossi,  known  in  literature  as  a poet  and  historian  of 
secondary  importance. 

^ Me  ne  faceva  la  credenza. 


252 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


sent  me  food  by  this  man’s  hands.  The  meat  was  tasted 
for  me  now  with  good  grace,  and  no  need  for  altercation. 
The  servant  in  question  told  me  that  the  Pope  was  being 
pestered  every  day  by  Monsignor  di  Morluc,  who  kept  asking 
for  my  extradition  on  the  part  of  the  French  King.  The 
Pope,  however,  showed  little  disposition  to  give  me  up  ; 
and  Cardinal  Farnese,  formerly  my  friend  and  patron,  had 
declared  that  I ought  not  to  reckon  on  issuing  from  that 
prison  for  some  length  of  time.^  I replied  that  I should 
get  out  in  spite  of  them  all.  The  excellent  young  fellow 
besought  me  to  keep  quiet,  and  not  to  let  such  words  of 
mine  be  heard,  for  they  might  do  me  some  grave  injury  ; 
having  firm  confidence  in  God,  it  was  my  duty  to  await  His 
mercy,  remaining  in  the  meanwhile  tranquil.  I answered 
that  the  power  and  goodness  of  God  are  not  bound  to  stand 
in  awe  before  the  malign  forces  of  iniquity. 


CXXVII 

A few  days  had  passed  when  the  Cardinal  of  Ferrara 
arrived  in  Rome.  He  went  to  pay  his  respects  to  the  Pope, 
and  the  Pope  detained  him  up  to  supper- time.  Now  the 
Pope  was  a man  of  great  talent  for  affairs,  and  he  wanted 
to  talk  at  his  ease  with  the  Cardinal  about  French  politics. 
Everybody  knows  that  folk,  when  they  are  feasting  together, 
say  things  which  they  would  otherwise  retain.  This  therefore 
happened.  The  great  King  Francis  was  most  frank  and 
liberal  in  all  his  dealings,  and  the  Cardinal  was  well  acquainted 
with  his  temper.  Therefore  the  latter  could  indulge  the  Pope 
beyond  his  boldest  expectations.  This  raised  his  Holiness  to 
a high  pitch  of  merriment  and  gladness,  all  the  more  because 
he  was  accustomed  to  drink  freely  once  a week,  and  went 
indeed  to  vomit  after  his  indulgence.  When,  therefore,  the 
Cardinal  observed  that  the  Pope  was  well  disposed,  and  ripe 
to  grant  favours,  he  begged  for  me  at  the  King’s  demand, 
pressing  the  matter  hotly,  and  proving  that  his  Majesty  had 
it  much  at  heart.  Upon  this  the  Pope  laughed  aloud  ; he 
felt  the  moment  for  his  vomit  at  hand  ; the  excessive  quantity 
of  wine  which  he  had  drunk  was  also  operating  ; so  he 
said  : “ On  the  spot,  this  instant,  you  shall  take  him  to  your 

^ This  was  the  Cardinal  Alessandro,  son  of  Pier  Luigi  Farnese. 


BOOK  FIRST 


253 


house.’^  Then,  having  given  express  orders  to  this  purpose, 
he  rose  from  table.  The  Cardinal  immediately  sent  for  me, 
before  Signor  Pier  Luigi  could  get  ’wind  of  the  affair ; for  it 
was  certain  that  he  would  not  have  allowed  me  to  be  loosed 
from  prison. 

The  Pope’s  mandatary  came  together  with  two  great  gentle- 
men of  the  Cardinal’s,  and  when  four  o’clock  of  the  night  was 
passed,  they  removed  me  from  my  prison,  and  brought  me 
into  the  presence  of  the  Cardinal,  who  received  me  with  in- 
describable kindness.  I was  well  lodged,  and  left  to  enjoy 
the  comforts  of  my  situation. 

Messer  Antonio,  the  old  castellan’s  brother,  and  his  suc- 
cessor in  the  office,  insisted  on  extracting  from  me  the  costs 
for  food  and  other  fees  and  perquisites  claimed  by  sheriffs 
and  such  fry,  paying  no  heed  to  his  predecessor’s  will  in 
my  behalf.  This  affair  cost  me  several  scores  of  crowns  ; 
but  I paid  them,  because  the  Cardinal  told  me  to  be  well 
upon  my  guard  if  I wanted  to  preserve  my  life,  adding 
that  had  he  not  extracted  me  that  evening  from  the  prison, 
I should  never  have  got  out.  Indeed,  he  had  already 
been  informed  that  the  Pope  greatly  regretted  having  let 
me  go. 


CXXVIII 

1 am  now  obliged  to  take  a step  backwards,  in  order  to 
resume  the  thread  of  some  events  which  will  be  found  in 
my  Capitolo.  While  I was  sojourning  those  few  days  in 
the  chamber  of  the  Cardinal,  and  afterwards  in  the  Pope’s 
private  garden,  there  came  among  my  other  friends  to  visit 
me  a cashier  of  Messer  Bindo  Altoviti,  who  was  called 
Bernardo  Galluzzi.  I had  entrusted  to  him  a sum  of  several 
hundred  crowns,  and  the  young  man  sought  me  out  in  the 
Pope’s  garden,  expressing  his  wish  to  give  back  this  money 
to  the  uttermost  farthing.  I answered  that  I did  not  know 
where  to  place  my  property,  either  with  a dearer  friend  or 
in  a place  that  seemed  to  me  more  safe.  He  showed  the 
strongest  possible  repugnance  to  keeping  it,  and  I was,  as  it 
were,  obliged  to  force  him.  Now  that  I had  left  the  castle 
for  the  last  time,  I discovered  that  poor  Bernardo  Galluzzi 
was  ruined,  whereby  I lost  my  money.  Now  while  I was 
still  imprisoned  in  that  dungeon,  I had  a terrible  dream,  in 


254 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


which  it  seemed  to  me  that  words  of  the  greatest  consequence 
were  written  with  a pen  upon  my  forehead  ; the  being  who 
did  this  to  me  repeated  at  least  three  times  that  I should 
hold  my  tongue  and  not  report  the  words  to  any  one.  When 
I awoke  I felt  that  my  forehead  had  been  meddled  with.  In 
my  Capitolo  upon  the  prison  I have  related  many  incidents 
of  this  sort.  Among  others,  it  was  told  me  (I  not  knowing 
what  I then  prophesied)  how  everything  which  afterwards 
happened  to  Signor  Pier  Luigi  would  take  place,  so  clearly 
and  so  circumstantially  that  I am  under  the  persuasion  it 
was  an  angel  from  heaven  who  informed  me.  I will  not 
omit  to  relate  another  circumstance  also,  which  is  perhaps 
the  most  remarkable  which  has  ever  happened  to  any  one. 
I do  so  in  order  to  justify  the  divinity  of  God  and  of  His 
secrets,  who  deigned  to  grant  me  that  great  favour  ; for  ever 
since  the  time  of  my  strange  vision  until  now  an  aureole  of 
glory  (marvellous  to  relate)  has  rested  on  my  head.  This  is 
visible  to  every  sort  of  men  to  whom  I have  chosen  to  point 
it  out ; but  those  have  been  very  few.  This  halo  can  be 
observed  above  my  shadow  in  the  morning  from  the  rising 
of  the  sun  for  about  two  hours,  and  far  better  when  the  grass 
is  drenched  with  dew.  It  is  also  visible  at  evening  about 
sunset.  I became  aware  of  it  in  France  at  Paris  ; for  the 
air  in  those  parts  is  so  much  freer  from  mist,  that  one  can 
see  it  there  far  better  manifested  than  in  Italy,  mists  being 
far  more  frequent  among  us.  However,  I am  always  able 
to  see  it  and  to  show  it  to  others,  but  not  so  well  as  in  the 
country  1 have  mentioned. 

Now  I will  set  forth  the  Capitolo  I wrote  in  prison,  and 
in  praise  of  the  said  prison  ; after  that  I will  follow  the 
course  of  the  good  and  evil  things  which  have  happened  to 
me  from  time  to  time  ; and  I mean  also  to  relate  what 
happens  in  the  future. 

THIS  CAPITOLO  I WRITE  TO  LUCA  MARTINI, 
ADDRESSING  HIM  IN  IT  AS  WILL  APPEAR.i 

Whoso  would  know  the  power  of  God’s  dominion, 

And  how  a man  resembles  that  high  good, 

Must  lie  in  prison,  is  my  firm  opinion  : 


1 Cellini’s  Capitolo  in  Praise  of  the  Prison  is  clearly  made  up  of  pieces 
written,  as  described  above,  in  the  dungeon  of  S.  Angelo,  and  of  passages 


BOOK  FIRST 


255 


On  grievous  thoughts  and  cares  of  home  must  brood, 
Oppressed  with  carking  pains  in  flesh  and  bone, 

Far  from  his  native  land  full  many  a rood. 

If  you  would  fain  by  worthy  deeds  be  known, 

Seek  to  be  prisoned  without  cause,  lie  long. 

And  find  no  friend  to  listen  to  your  moan. 

See  that  men  rob  you  of  your  all  by  wrong  ; 

Add  perils  to  your  life  ; be  used  with  force, 

Hopeless  of  help,  by  brutal  foes  and  strong. 

Be  driven  at  length  to  some  mad  desperate  course  ; 

Burst  from  your  dungeon,  leap  the  castle  wall ; 
Recaptured,  find  the  prison  ten  times  worse. 

Now  listen,  Luca,  to  the  best  of  all  ! 

Your  leg’s  been  broken  ; you’ve  been  bought  and  sold  ; 
Your  dungeon’s  dripping  ; you’ve  no  cloak  or  shawl. 

Never  one  friendly  word  ; your  victuals  cold 

Are  brought  with  sorry  news  by  some  base  groom 
Of  Prato — soldier  now — druggist  of  old. 

Mark  well  how  Glory  steeps  her  sons  in  gloom  ! 

You  have  no  seat  to  sit  on,  save  the  stool : 

Yet  were  you  active  from  your  mother’s  womb. 

The  knave  who  serves  hath  orders  strict  and  cool 
To  list  no  word  you  utter,  give  you  naught, 

Scarcely  to  ope  the  door ; such  is  their  rule. 

These  toys  hath  Glory  for  her  nursling  wrought  ! 

No  paper,  pens,  ink,  fire,  or  tools  of  steel. 

To  exercise  the  quick  brain’s  teeming  thought. 

Alack  that  I so  little  can  reveal ! 

F ancy  one  hundred  for  each  separate  ill ; 

Full  space  and  place  I’ve  left  for  prison  weal ! 

But  now  my  former  purpose  to  fulfil. 

And  sing  the  dungeon’s  praise  with  honour  due— 

For  this  angelic  tongues  were  scant  of  skill. 


which  he  afterwards  composed  to  bring  these  pieces  into  a coherent  whole. 
He  has  not  displayed  much  literary  skill  in  the  redaction,  and  I have  been  at 
pains  to  preserve  the  roughness  of  the  original, 


256 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


Here  never  languish  honest  men  and  true, 

Except  by  placemen’s  fraud,  misgovernment, 
Jealousies,  anger,  or  some  spiteful  crew. 

To  tell  the  truth  whereon  my  mind  is  bent. 

Here  man  knows  God,  nor  ever  stints  to  pray, 

Feeling  his  soul  with  hell’s  fierce  anguish  rent. 

Let  one  be  famed  as  bad  as  mortal  may. 

Send  him  in  jail  two  sorry  years  to  pine, 

He’ll  come  forth  holy,  wise,  beloved  alway. 

Here  soul,  flesh,  clothes  their  substance  gross  refine  | 

Each  bulky  lout  grows  light  like  gossamere  ; 

Celestial  thrones  before  purged  eyeballs  shine. 

I’ll  tell  thee  a great  marvel ! Friend,  give  ear  ! 

The  fancy  took  me  on  one  day  to  write  : 

Learn  now  what  shifts  one  may  be  put  to  here. 

My  cell  I search,  prick  brows  and  hair  upright, 

Then  turn  me  toward  a cranny  in  the  door, 

And  with  my  teeth  a splinter  disunite  ; 

Next  find  apiece  of  brick  upon  the  floor, 

Crumble  a part  thereof  to  powder  small. 

And  form  a paste  by  sprinkling  water  o’er.* 

Then,  then  came  Poesy  with  fiery  call 

Into  my  carcass,  by  the  way  methought 

Whence  bread  goes  forth — there  was  none  else  at  all. 

Now  to  return  unto  my  primal  thought : 

Who  wills  to  know  what  weal  awaits  him,  must 
First  learn  the  ill  that  God  for  him  hath  wrought. 

The  jail  contains  all  arts  in  act  and  trust  ; 

Should  you  but  hanker  after  surgeon’s  skill, 

’Twill  draw  the  spoiled  blood  from  your  veins  adust. 

Next  there  is  something  in  itself  that  will 

Make  you  right  eloquent,  a bold  brave  spark. 

Big  with  high-soaring  thoughts  for  good  and  ill. 


The  Italian  is  acqiia  morta  ; probably  a slang  phrase  for  urine. 


BOOK  FIRST 


257 


Blessed  is  the  man  who  lies  in  dungeon  dark, 

Languishing  many  a month,  then  takes  his  flight 
Of  war,  truce,  peace  he  knows,  and  tells  the  mark. 

Needs  be  that  all  things  turn  to  his  delight ; 

The  jail  has  crammed  his  brains  so  full  of  wit. 
They’ll  dance  no  morris  to  upset  the  wight. 

Perchance  thou’lt  urge  : “ Think  how  thy  life  did  flit ; 
Nor  is  it  true  the  jail  can  teach  thee  lore. 

To  fill  thy  breast  and  heart  with  strength  of  it  ! ” 

Nay,  for  myself  I’ll  ever  praise  it  more  : 

Yet  would  I like  one  law  passed — that  the  man 
Whose  acts  deserve  it  should  not  scape  this  score. 

Whoso  hath  gotten  the  poor  folk  in  ban. 

I’d  make  him  learn  those  lessons  of  the  jail  ; 

For  then  he’d  know  all  a good  ruler  can  : 

He’d  act  like  men  who  weigh  by  reason’s  scale. 

Nor  dare  to  swerve  from  truth  and  right  aside. 

Nor  would  confusion  in  the  realm  prevail. 

While  I was  bound  in  prison  to  abide, 

Foison  of  priests,  friars,  soldiers  I could  see  ; 

But  those  who  best  deserved  it  least  I spied. 

Ah  ! could  you  know  what  rage  came  over  me. 

When  for  such  rogues  the  jail  relaxed  her  hold  ! 
This  makes  one  weep  that  one  was  born  to  be  ! 

I’ll  add  no  more.  Now  I’m  become  fine  gold. 

Such  gold  as  none  flings  lightly  to  the  wind. 

Fit  for  the  best  work  eyes  shall  e’er  behold. 

Another  point  hath  passed  into  my  mind. 

Which  I’ve  not  told  thee,  Luca  ; where  I wrote 
Was  in  the  book  of  one  our  kith  and  kind.^ 

There  down  the  margins  I was  wont  to  note 

Each  torment  grim  that  crushed  me  like  a vice  : 
The  paste  my  hurrying  thoughts  could  hardly  float. 


^ Un  nostro  pa7-ente.  He  says  above  that  he  wrote  the  Capitolo  on  the 
leaves  of  his  Bible. 


R 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


258 

To  make  an  O,  I dipped  the  splinter  thrice 

In  that  thick  mud  ; worse  woe  could  scarcely  grind 
Spirits  in  hell  debarred  from  Paradise. 

Seeing  I’m  not  the  first  by  fraud  confined, 

This  I’ll  omit  ; and  once  more  seek  the  cell 
Wherein  I rack  for  rage  both  heart  and  mind. 

i praise  it  more  than  other  tongues  will  tell ; 

And,  for  advice  to  such  as  do  not  know, 

Swear  that  without  it  none  can  labour  well. 

Yet  oh  ! for  one  like  Him  I learned  but  now, 

Who’d  cry  to  me  as  by  Bethesda’s  shore  : 

Take  thy  clothes,  Benvenuto,  rise  and  go  ! 

Credo  I’d  sing.  Salve  reginas  pour 

And  Paternosters  ; alms  I’d  then  bestow 
Morn  after  morn  on  blind  folk,  lame,  and  poor. 

Ah  me  ! how  many  a time  my  cheek  must  grow 

Blanched  by  those  lilies  ! Shall  I then  forswear 
Florence  and  France  through  them  for  evermore?^ 

If  to  the  hospital  I come,  and  fair 

Find  the  Annunziata  limned.  I’ll  fly  : 

Else  shall  I show  myself  a brute  beast  there. ^ 

These  words  flout  not  Her  worshipped  sanctity, 

Nor  those  Her  lilies,  glorious,  holy,  pure, 

The  which  illumine  earth  and  heaven  high  ! 

But  for  I find  at  every  coign  obscure 

Base  lilies  which  spread  hooks  where  flowers  should  blow 
Needs  must  I fear  lest  these  to  ruin  lure.^ 

To  think  how  many  walk  like  me  in  woe  ! 

Born  what,  how  slaved  to  serve  that  hateful  sign ! 

Souls  lively,  graceful,  like  to  gods  below  ! 


^ Here  he  begins  to  play  upon  the  lilies,  which  were  arms  of  the  Farnesi, 
of  Florence,  and  of  France. 

^ Gabriel  holds  the  lily  in  Italian  paintings  when  he  salutes  the  Virgin  Mary 
with  Ave  Virgo! 

^ That  is,  he  finds  everywhere  in  Italy  the  arms  of  the  Farnesi. 


BOOK  FIRST 


259 


I saw  that  lethal  heraldry  decline 

From  heaven  like  lightning  among  people  vain  ; 
Then  on  the  stone  I saw  strange  lustre  shine. 

The  castle’s  bell  must  break  ere  I with  strain 

Thence  issued  ; and  these  things  Who  speaketh  true 
In  heaven  on  earth,  to  me  made  wondrous  plain.^ 

Next  I beheld  a bier  of  sombre  hue 

Adorned  with  broken  lilies  ; crosses,  tears  ; 

And  on  their  beds  a lost  woe-stricken  crew,^ 

I saw  the  Death  who  racks  our  souls  with  fears ; 

This  man  and  that  she  menaced,  while  she  cried  : 

“ I clip  the  folk  who  harm  thee  with  these  shears  ! ” 

That  worthy  one  then  on  my  brow  wrote  wide 

With  Peter’s  pen  words  which — for  he  bade  shun 
To  speak  them  thrice — within  my  breast  I hide.^ 

Him  I beheld  who  drives  and  checks  the  sun. 

Clad  with  its  splendour  ’mid  his  court  on  high, 
Seld-seen  by  mortal  eyes,  if  e’er  by  one.^ 

Then  did  a solitary  sparrow  cry 

Loud  from  the  keep  ; hearing  which  note,  I said  : 

“ He  tells  that  I shall  live  and  you  must  die  ! ” 

I sang,  and  wrote  my  hard  case,  head  by  head, 

Asking  from  God  pardon  and  aid  in  need. 

For  now  I felt  mine  eyes  outworn  and  dead. 

Ne’er  lion,  tiger,  wolf,  or  bear  knew  greed 

Hungrier  than  that  man  felt  for  human  blood  ; 

Nor  viper  with  more  venomous  fang  did  feed.® 

The  cruel  chief  was  he  of  robbers’  brood, 

Worst  of  the  worst  among  a gang  of  knaves  ; 

Hist ! I’ll  speak  soft  lest  I be  understood  ! 


^ Allusion  to  his  prevision  of  the  castellan’s  death. 

^ Allusion  to  his  prevision  of  Pier  Luigi  Farnese’s  murder. 
^ Allusion  to  the  angel  who  visited  him  in  prison. 

^ Allusion  to  his  vision  of  the  sun  in  the  dungeon. 

® An  invective  against  Pier  Luigi  Farnese. 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


260 


Say,  have  ye  seen  catchpolls,  the  famished  slaves. 

In  act  a poor  man’s  homestead  to  distrain. 

Smashing  down  Christs,  Madonnas,  with  their  staves  ? 

So  on  the  first  of  August  did  that  train 

Dislodge  me  to  a tomb  more  foul,  more  cold 
“ November  damns  and  dooms  each  rogue  to  pain  !”i 

I at  mine  ears  a trumpet  had  which  told 

Truth  ; and  each  word  to  them  I did  repeat, 

Reckless,  if  but  grief’s  load  from  me  were  rolled. 

They,  when  they  saw  their  final  hope  retreat. 

Gave  me  a diamond,  pounded,  no  fair  ring. 

Deeming  that  I must  die  if  I should  eat. 

That  villain  churl  whose  office  ’twas  to  bring 

My  food,  I bade  taste  first  ; but  meanwhile  thought : 

“ Not  here  I find  my  foe  Durante’s  sting  !” 

Yet  erst  my  mind  unto  high  God  I brought, 

Beseeching  Him  to  pardon  all  my  sin. 

And  spoke  a Miserere  sorrow-fraught. 

Then  when  I gained  some  respite  from  that  din 
Of  troubles,  and  had  given  my  soul  to  God, 

Contented  better  realms  and  state  to  win, 

I saw  along  the  path  which  saints  have  trod. 

From  heaven  descending,  glad,  with  glorious  palm, 

An  angel  : clear  he  cried,  “ Upon  earth’s  sod 

Live  longer  thou  ! Through  Him  who  heard  thy  psalm, 
Those  foes  shall  perish,  each  and  all,  in  strife. 

While  thou  remainest  happy,  free,  and  calm. 

Blessed  by  our  Sire  in  heaven  on  earth  for  life  ! ” 


^ Allusion  to  the  prophetic  words  he  flung  at  the  officers  who  took  him  to 
Foiano’s  dungeon. 


BOOK  SECOND 


I 

I REMAINED  for  somc  time  in  the  Cardinal  of  Ferrara’s  palace, 
very  well  regarded  in  general  by  everybody,  and  much  more 
visited  even  than  I had  previously  been.  Everybody  was 
astonished  that  I should  have  come  out  of  prison  and  have 
been  able  to  live  through  such  indescribable  afflictions  ; ^ 
and  while  I was  recovering  my  breath  and  endeavouring  to 
resume  the  habit  of  my  art,  I had  great  pleasure  in  re-writing 
the  Capitolo.  Afterwards,  with  a view  to  re-establishing  my 
strength,  I determined  to  take  a journey  of  a few  days  for 
change  of  air.  My  good  friend  the  Cardinal  gave  me  per- 
mission and  lent  me  horses  ; and  I had  two  young  Romans 
for  my  companions,  one  of  them  a craftsman  in  my  trade, 
the  other  only  a comrade  in  our  journey.  We  left  Rome, 
and  took  the  road  to  Tagliacozzo,  intending  to  visit  my  pupil 
Ascanio,  who  lived  there.  On  our  arrival,  I found  the  lad, 
together  with  his  father,  brothers,  sisters,  and  stepmother. 
I was  entertained  by  them  two  days  with  indescribable  kind- 
ness ; then  I turned  my  face  towards  Rome,  taking  Ascanio 
with  me.  On  the  road  we  fell  to  conversing  about  our  art, 
which  made  me  die  of  impatience  to  get  back  and  recom- 
mence my  labours. 

Having  reached  Rome,  I got  myself  at  once  in  readiness 
to  work,  and  was  fortunate  enough  to  find  again  a silver  basin 
which  I had  begun  for  the  Cardinal  before  I was  imprisoned. 
Together  with  this  basin  I had  begun  a very  beautiful  little 
jug  ; but  this  had  been  stolen,  with  a great  quantity  of  other 

^ This  assertion  is  well  supported  by  contemporary  letters  of  Caro  and 
Alamanni 


261 


262 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


valuable  articles.  I set  Pagolo,  whom  I have  previously 
mentioned,  to  work  upon  the  basin.  At  the  same  time  I re- 
commenced the  jug,  which  was  designed  with  round  figures 
and  bas-reliefs.  The  basin  was  executed  in  a similar  style, 
with  round  figures  and  fishes  in  bas-relief.  The  whole  had 
such  richness  and  good  keeping,  that]  every  one  who  beheld 
it  expressed  astonishment  at  the  force  of  the  design  and 
beauty  of  invention,  and  also  at  the  delicacy^  with  which 
these  young  men  worked. 

The  Cardinal  came  at  least  twice  a day  to  see  me,  bringing 
with  him  Messer  Luigi  Alamanni  and  Messer  Gabriel  Cesano  ; ^ 
and  here  we  used  to  pass  an  hour  or  two  pleasantly  together. 
Notwithstanding  I had  very  much  to  do,  he  kept  giving  me 
fresh  commissions.  Among  others,  I had  to  make  his  pontifical 
seal,  of  the  size  of  the  hand  of  a boy  of  twelve.  On  it  I en- 
graved in  intaglio  two  little  histories,  the  one  of  San  Giovanni 
preaching  in  the  wilderness,  the  other  of  Sand  Ambrogio 
expelling  the  Arians^  on  horseback  with  a lash  in  his  hand. 
The  fire  and  correctness  of  design  of  this  piece,  and  its 
nicety  of  workmanship,  made  every  one  say  that  I had  sur- 
passed the  great  Lautizio,  who  ranked  alone  in  this  branch 
of  the  profession.  The  Cardinal  was  so  proud  of  it  that  he 
used  to  compare  it  complacently  with  the  other  seals  of  the 
Roman  cardinals,  which  were  nearly  all  from  the  hand  of 
Lautizio. 


II 

In  addition  to  these  things  the  Cardinal  ordered  me  to 
make  the  model  for  a salt-cellar  ; but  he  said  he  should  like 
me  to  leave  the  beaten  track  pursued  by  such  as  fabricated 
these  things.  Messer  Luigi,  apropos  of  this  salt-cellar,  made 
an  eloquent  description  of  his  own  idea  ; Messer  Gabriello 
Cesano  also  spoke  exceedingly  well  to  the  same  purpose. 
The  Cardinal,  who  was  a very  kindly  listener,  showed  extreme 
satisfaction  with  the  designs  which  these  two  able  men  of 
letters  had  described  in  words.  Then  he  turned  to  me  and 
said  : “ My  Benvenuto,  the  design  of  Messer  Luigi  and  that  of 
Messer  Gabriello  please  me  both  so  well  that  I know  not  how 

1 Pulitezza.  This  indicates  precision,  neatness,  cleanness  of  execution. 

2 The  name  of  Cesano  is  well  known  in  the  literary  correspondence  of  those 
times. 

^ It  will  be  remembered  that  the  Cardinal  was  Archbishop  of  Milan. 


BOOK  SECOND 


263 


to  choose  between  them  ; therefore  I leave  the  choice  to  you, 
who  will  have  to  execute  the  work.”  I replied  as  follows : 
“ It  is  apparent,  my  lords,  of  what  vast  consequence  are  the 
sons  of  kings  and  emperors,  and  what  a marvellous  brightness 
of  divinity  appears  in  them  ; nevertheless,  if  you  ask  some 
poor  humble  shepherd  which  he  loves  best,  those  royal 
children  or  his  sons,  he  will  certainly  tell  you  that  he  loves 
his  own  sons  best.  Now  I too  have  a great  affection  for  the 
children  which  I bring  forth  from  my  art ; consequently  the  first 
which  I will  show  you,  most  reverend  monsignor  my  good 
master,  shall  be  of  my  own  making  and  invention.  There 
are  many  things  beautiful  enough  in  words  which  do  not 
match  together  well  when  executed  by  an  artist.”  Then 
I turned  to  the  two  scholars  and  said  : “You  have  spoken, 
I will  do.”  Upon  this  Messer  Luigi  Alamanni  smiled,  and 
added  a great  many  witty  things,  with  the  greatest  charm 
of  manner,  in  my  praise  ; they  became  him  well,  for  he 
was  handsome  of  face  and  figure,  and  had  a gentle  voice. 
Messer  Gabriello  Cesano  was  quite  the  opposite,  as  ugly  and 
displeasing  as  the  other  was  agreeable  ; accordingly  he  spoke 
as  he  looked. 

Messer  Luigi  had  suggested  that  I should  fashion  a Venus 
with  Cupid,  surrounded  by  a crowd  of  pretty  emblems,  all 
in  proper  keeping  with  the  subject.  Messer  Gabriello 
proposed  that  I should  model  an  Amphitrite,  the  wife  of 
Neptune,  together  with  those  Tritons  of  the  sea,  and  many 
such-like  fancies,  good  enough  to  describe  in  words,  but 
not  to  execute  in  metal. 

I first  laid  down  an  oval  framework,  considerably  longer 
than  half  a cubit — almost  two-thirds,  in  fact ; and  upon  this 
ground,  wishing  to  suggest  the  interminglement  of  land  and 
ocean,  I modelled  two  figures,  considerably  taller  than  a palm 
in  height,  which  were  seated  with  their  legs  interlaced,  sug- 
gesting those  lengthier  branches  of  the  sea  which  run  up 
into  the  continents.  The  sea  was  a man,  and  in  his  hand 
I placed  a ship,  elaborately  wrought  in  all  its  details,  and 
well  adapted  to  hold  a quantity  of  salt.  Beneath  him  I 
grouped  the  four  sea-horses,  and  in  his  right  hand  he  held 
his  trident.  The  earth  I fashioned  like  a woman,  with  all 
the  beauty  of  form,  the  grace,  and  charm  of  which  my  art 
was  capable.  She  had  a richly  decorated  temple  firmly 
based  upon  the  ground  at  one  side  ; and  here  her  hand 


264 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


rested.  This  I intended  to  receive  the  pepper.  In  her 
other  hand  I put  a cornucopia,  overflowing  with  all  the 
natural  treasures  I could  think  of.  Below  this  goddess,  in 
the  part  which  represented  earth,  I collected  the  fairest 
animals  that  haunt  our  globe.  In  the  quarter  presided  over 
by  the  deity  of  ocean,  I fashioned  such  choice  kinds  of  fishes 
and  shells  as  could  be  properly  displayed  in  that  small 
space.  What  remained  of  the  oval  I filled  in  with  luxuriant 
ornamentation. 

Then  I waited  for  the  Cardinal ; and  when  he  came, 
attended  by  the  two  accomplished  gentlemen,  I produced 
the  model  I had  made  in  wax.  On  beholding  it,  Messer 
Gabriel  Cesano  was  the  first  to  lift  his  voice  up,  and  to  cry  : 
“This  is  a piece  which  it  will  take  the  lives  of  ten  men  to 
finish  : do  not  expect,  most  reverend  monsignor,  if  you  order 
it,  to  get  it  in  your  lifetime.  Benvenuto,  it  seems,  has  chosen 
to  display  his  children  in  a vision,  but  not  to  give  them  to 
the  touch,  as  we  did  when  we  spoke  of  things  that  could  be 
carried  out,  while  he  has  shown  a thing  beyond  the  bounds 
of  possibility.’^  Messer  Alamanni  took  my  side ; but  the 
Cardinal  said  he  did  not  care  to  undertake  so  important  an 
affair.  Then  I turned  to  them  and  said  : “ Most  reverend 
monsignor,  and  you,  gentlemen,  fulfilled  with  learning  ; I 
tell  you  that  I hope  to  complete  this  piece  for  whosoever 
shall  be  destined  to  possess  it ; ^ and  each  one  of  you  shall 
live  to  see  it  executed  a hundred  times  more  richly  than  the 
model.  Indeed,  I hope  that  time  will  be  left  me  to  pro- 
duce far  greater  things  than  this.”  The  Cardinal  replied  in 
heat : “ Unless  you  make  it  for  the  King,  to  whom  I mean 
to  take  you,  I do  not  think  that  you  will  make  it  for  another 
man  alive.”  Then  he  showed  me  letters  in  which  the  King, 
under  one  heading,  bade  him  return  as  soon  as  possible, 
bringing  Benvenuto  with  him.  At  this  I raised  my  hands 
to  heaven,  exclaiming  : “ Oh,  when  will  that  moment  come, 
and  quickly?”  The  Cardinal  bade  me  put  myself  in  readi- 
ness, and  arrange  the  affairs  I had  in  Rome.  He  gave  me 
ten  days  for  these  preparations. 


^ A chi  Vara  avere.  For  whomsoever  it  is  going  to  belong  to. 


BOOK  SECOND 


265 


III 

When  the  time  came  to  travel,  he  gave  me  a line  and 
excellent  horse.  The  animal  was  called  Tornon,  because  it 
was  a gift  from  the  Cardinal  Tornon.^  My  apprentices, 
Pagolo  and  Ascanio,  were  also  furnished  with  good  mounts. 

The  Cardinal  divided  his  household,  which  was  very 
numerous,  into  two  sections.  The  first,  and  the  more 
distinguished,  he  took  with  him,  following  the  route  of 
Romagna,  with  the  object  of  visiting  Madonna  del  Loreto, 
and  then  making  for  Ferrara,  his  own  home.  The  other 
section  he  sent  upon  the  road  to  Florence.  This  was  the 
larger  train  ; it  counted  a great  multitude,  including  the 
flower  of  his  horse.  He  told  me  that  if  I wished  to  make 
the  journey  without  peril,  I had  better  go  with  him,  other- 
wise I ran  some  risk  of  my  life.  I expressed  my  inclina- 
tion to  his  most  reverend  lordship  to  travel  in  his  suite. 
But,  having  done  so,  since  the  will  of  Heaven  must  be 
accomplished,  it  pleased  God  to  remind  me  of  my  poor  sister, 
who  had  suffered  greatly  from  the  news  of  my  misfortunes. 
I also  remembered  my  cousins,  who  were  nuns  in  Viterbo, 
the  one  abbess  and  the  other  camerlinga,^  and  who  had 
therefore  that  rich  convent  under  their  control.  They  too 
had  endured  sore  tribulation  for  my  sake,  and  to  their  fer- 
vent prayers  I firmly  believed  that  I owed  the  grace  of  my 
deliverance  by  God.  Accordingly,  when  these  things  came 
into  my  mind,  I decided  for  the  route  to  Florence.  I might 
have  travelled  free  of  expense  with  the  Cardinal  or  with 
that  other  train  of  his,  but  I chose  to  take  my  own  way  by 
myself.  Eventually  I joined  company  with  a very  famous 
clockmaker,  called  Maestro  Cherubino,  my  esteemed  friend. 
Thrown  together  by  accident,  we  performed  the  journey 
with  much  enjoyment  on  both  sides. 

I had  left  Rome  on  Monday  in  Passion  Week,  together 
with  Pagolo  and  Ascanio.^  At  Monte  Ruosi  we  joined  the 
company  which  I have  mentioned.  Since  I had  expressed 

^ This  was  the  famous  Fran9ois  de  Tournon,  made  Cardinal  in  1530,  and 
employed  as  minister  by  Fran9ois  I. 

^ This  official  in  a convent  was  the  same  as  cellarer  or  superintendent  of  the 
cellar  and  provisions. 

^ This  was  March  22,  1540. 


266 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


my  intention  of  following  the  Cardinal,  I did  not  anticipate 
that  any  of  my  enemies  would  be  upon  the  watch  to  harm 
me.  Yet  I ran  a narrow  risk  of  coming  to  grief  at  Monte 
Ruosi  ; for  a band  of  men  had  been  sent  forward,  well 
armed,  to  do  me  mischief  there.  It  was  so  ordained  by 
God  that,  while  we  were  at  dinner,  these  fellows,  on  the 
news  that  I was  not  travelling  in  the  Cardinal’s  suite,  made 
preparation  to  attack  me.  Just  at  that  moment  the  Car- 
dinal’s retinue  arrived,  and  I was  glad  enough  to  travel  with 
their  escort  safely  to  Viterbo.  From  that  place  onward  I 
had  no  apprehension  of  danger,  especially  as  I made  a point 
of  travelling  a few  miles  in  front,  and  the  best  men  of  the 
retinue  kept  a good  watch  over  me.^  I arrived  by  God’s 
grace  safe  and  sound  at  Viterbo,  where  my  cousins  and  all 
the  convent  received  me  with  the  greatest  kindness. 


IV 

After  leaving  Viterbo  with  the  comrades  I have  men- 
tioned, we  pursued  our  journey  on  horseback,  sometimes  in 
front  and  sometimes  behind  the  Cardinal’s  household.  This 
brought  us  upon  Maundy  Thursday  at  twenty-two  o’clock 
within  one  stage  of  Siena.  At  this  place  there  happened  to 
be  some  return-horses  ; and  the  people  of  the  post  were 
waiting  for  an  opportunity  to  hire  them  at  a small  fee  to 
any  traveller  who  would  take  them  back  to  the  post -station 
in  Siena.  When  I was  aware  of  this,  I dismounted  from 
my  horse  Tornon,  saddled  one  of  the  beasts  with  my  pad 
and  stirrups,  and  gave  a giulio  to  the  groom  in  waiting.^ 

I left  my  horse  under  the  care  of  my  young  men  to  bring 
after  me,  and  rode  on  in  front,  wishing  to  arrive  half-an- 
hour  earlier  in  Siena,  where  I had  some  friends  to  visit  and 
some  business  to  transact.  Although  I went  at  a smart  pace, 
I did  not  override  the  post-horse.  When  I reached  Siena, 
I engaged  good  rooms  at  the  inn  for  five  persons,  and  told 
the  groom  of  the  house  to  take  the  horse  back  to  the  post, 

^ Tenevano  moUo  conto  di  me.  This  is  perhaps  equivalent  to  held  me  in 
high  esteem.  But  Cellini  uses  the  same  phrase  with  the  meaning  I have  given 
above,  in  Book  I.  chap.  Ixxxvi. 

^ The  word  I have  translated  by  “ pad  ” above  is  cucino  is  the  original.  It 
seems  to  have  been  a sort  of  cushion  flung  upon  the  saddle,  and  to  which  the 
stirrups  were  attached. 


BOOK  SECOND  267 

which  was  outside  the  Camollfa  gate  ; I forgot,  however,  to 
remove  my  stirrups  and  my  pad. 

That  evening  of  Holy  Thursday  we  passed  together  with 
much  gaiety ; and  next  morning,  which  was  Good  Friday, 
I remembered  my  stirrups  and  my  pad.  On  my  sending  for 
them,  the  postmaster  replied  that  he  did  not  mean  to  give 
them  up,  because  I had  overridden  his  horse.  We  exchanged 
messages  several  times,  and  he  kept  saying  that  he  meant 
to  keep  them,  adding  expressions  of  intolerable  insult.  The 
host  where  I was  lodging  told  me  : “You  will  get  off  well 
if  he  does  nothing  worse  than  to  detain  your  gear ; for  you 
must  know  that  he  is  the  most  brutal  fellow  that  ever  dis- 
graced our  city,  and  has  two  sons,  soldiers  of  great  courage, 
who  are  even  more  brutal  than  he  is.  I advise  you  then  to 
purchase  what  you  want,  and  to  pursue  your  journey  without 
moving  farther  in  this  matter.^^ 

I bought  a new  pair  of  stirrups,  although  I still  hoped  to 
regain  my  good  pad  by  persuasion  ; and  since  I was  very 
well  mounted,  and  well  armed  with  shirt  and  sleeves  of  mail, 
and  carried  an  excellent  arquebuse  upon  my  saddle-bow,  I 
was  not  afraid  of  the  brutality  and  violence  which  that  mad 
beast  was  said  to  be  possessed  of.  I had  also  accustomed 
my  young  men  to  carry  shirts  of  mail,  and  had  great  con- 
fidence in  the  Roman,  who,  while  we  were  in  Rome  together, 
had  never  left  it  off,  so  far  as  I could  see  ; Ascanio  too, 
although  he  was  but  a stripling,  was  in  the  habit  of  wearing 
one.  Besides,  as  it  was  Good  Friday,  I imagined  that  the 
madnesses  of  madmen  might  be  giving  themselves  a holiday. 
When  we  came  to  the  Camollfa  gate,  I at  once  recognised 
the  postmaster  by  the  indications  given  me ; for  he  was 
blind  of  the  left  eye.  Riding  up  to  him  then,  and  leaving 
my  young  men  and  companions  at  a little  distance,  I cour- 
teously addressed  him  : “ Master  of  the  post,  if  I assure  you 
that  I did  not  override  your  horse,  why  are  you  unwilling  to 
give  me  back  my  pad  and  stirrups  ? ’’  The  reply  he  made 
was  precisely  as  mad  and  brutal  as  had  been  foretold  me. 
This  roused  me  to  exclaim  : “ How  then  ! are  you  not  a 
Christian  ? or  do  you  want  upon  Good  Friday  to  force  us 
both  into  a scandal  ? ” He  answered  that  Good  Friday  or 
the  DeviFs  Friday  was  all  the  same  to  him,  and  that  if  I did 
not  take  myself  away,  he  would  fell  me  to  the  ground  with 
a spontoon  which  he  had  taken  up — me  and  the  arquebuse 


268 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


I had  my  hand  on.  Upon  hearing  these  truculent  words,  an 
old  gentleman  of  Siena  joined  us  ; he  was  dressed  like  a 
citizen,  and  was  returning  from  the  religious  functions  proper 
to  that  day.  It  seems  that  he  had  gathered  the  sense  of  my 
arguments  before  he  came  up  to  where  we  stood  ; and  this 
impelled  him  to  rebuke  the  postmaster  with  warmth,  taking 
my  side,  and  reprimanding  the  man’s  two  sons  for  not  doing 
their  duty  to  passing  strangers  ; so  that  their  manners  were 
an  offence  to  God  and  a disgrace  to  the  city  of  Siena.  The 
two  young  fellows  wagged  their  heads  without  saying  a word, 
and  withdrew  inside  the  house.  Their  father,  stung  to  fury 
by  the  scolding  of  that  respectable  gentleman,  poured  out  a 
volley  of  abusive  blasphemies,  and  levelled  his  spontoon, 
swearing  he  would  murder  me.  When  I saw  him  determined 
to  do  some  act  of  bestial  violence,  I pointed  the  muzzle  of 
my  arquebuse,  with  the  object  only  of  keeping  him  at  a 
distance.  Doubly  enraged  by  this,  he  flung  himself  upon 
me.  Though  I had  prepared  the  arquebuse  for  my  defence, 
I had  not  yet  levelled  it  exactly  at  him ; indeed  it  was 
pointed  too  high.  It  went  off  of  itself  ; and  the  ball,  striking 
the  arch  of  the  door  and  glancing  backwards,  wounded  him 
in  the  throat,  so  that  he  fell  dead  to  earth.  Upon  this  the 
two  young  men  came  running  out ; one  caught  up  a partisan 
from  the  rack  which  stood  there,  the  other  seized  the  spon- 
toon of  his  father.  Springing  upon  my  followers,  the  one 
who  had  the  spontoon  smote  Pagolo  the  Roman  first  above 
the  left  nipple.  The  other  attacked  a Milanese  who  was  in 
our  company,  and  had  the  ways  and  manners  of  a perfect 
fool.  This  man  screamed  out  that  he  had  nothing  in  the 
world  to  do  with  me,  and  parried  the  point  of  the  partisan 
with  a little  stick  he  held  ; but  this  availed  him  naught ; in 
spite  of  his  words  and  fencing,  he  received  a flesh  wound 
in  the  mouth.  Messer  Cherubino  wore  the  habit  of  a priest ; 
for  though  he  was  a clockmaker  by  trade,  he  held  benefices 
of  some  value  from  the  Pope.  Ascanio,  who  was  well 
armed,  stood  his  ground  without  trying  to  escape,  as  the 
Milanese  had  done  ; so  these  two  came  off  unhurt.  I had 
set  spurs  to  my  horse,  and  while  he  was  galloping,  had 
charged  and  got  my  arquebuse  in  readiness  again  ; but  now 
I turned  back,  burning  with  fury,  and  meaning  to  play  my 
part  this  time  in  earnest.  I thought  that  my  young  men 
had  been  killed,  and  was  resolved  to  die  with  them.  The 


BOOK  SECOND 


269 


horse  had  not  gone  many  paces  when  I met  them  riding 
toward  me,  and  asked  if  they  were  hurt.  Ascanio  answered 
that  Pagolo  was  wounded  to  the  death.  Then  I said : “ O 
Pagolo,  my  son,  did  the  spontoon  then  pierce  through  your 
armour?’^  “No,”  he  replied,  “for  I put  my  shirt  of  mail 
in  the  valise  this  morning.”  “ So  then,  I suppose,  one  wears 
chain-mail  in  Rome  to  swagger  before  ladies,  but  where 
there  is  danger,  and  one  wants  it,  one  keeps  it  locked  up  in 
a portmanteau  ? You  deserve  what  you  have  got,  and  you 
are  now  the  cause  of  sending  me  back  to  die  here  too.” 
While  I was  uttering  these  words,  I kept  riding  briskly 
onward  ; but  both  the  young  men  implored  me  for  the  love 
of  God  to  save  myself  and  them,  and  not  to  rush  on  certain 
death.  Just  then  I met  Messer  Cherubino  and  the  wounded 
Milanese.  The  former  cried  out  that  no  one  was  badly 
wounded  ; the  blow  given  to  Pagolo  had  only  grazed  the 
skin  ; ^ but  the  old  postmaster  was  stretched  out  dead  ; his 
sons  with  other  folk  were  getting  ready  for  attack,  and 
we  must  almost  certainly  be  cut  to  pieces : “ Accordingly, 
Benvenuto,  since  fortune  has  saved  us  from  this  first  tempest, 
do  not  tempt  her  again,  for  things  may  not  go  so  favourably 
a second  time.”  To  this  I replied  : “ If  you  are  satisfied  to 
have  it  thus,  so  also  am  I ; ” and  turning  to  Pagolo  and 
Ascanio,  I said  : “ Strike  spurs  to  your  horses,  and  let  us 
gallop  to  Staggia  without  stopping ; * there  we  shall  be  in 
safety.”  The  wounded  Milanese  groaned  out : “A  pox  upon 
our  peccadilloes  ! the  sole  cause  of  my  misfortune  was  that 
I sinned  by  taking  a little  broth  this  morning,  having  nothing 
else  to  break  my  fast  with.”  In  spite  of  the  great  peril  we 
were  in,  we  could  not  help  laughing  a little  at  the  donkey 
and  his  silly  speeches.  Then  we  set  spurs  to  our  horses, 
and  left  Messer  Cherubino  and  the  Milanese  to  follow  at 
their  leisure. 


V 

While  were  making  our  escape,  the  sons  of  the  dead 
man  ran  to  the  Duke  of  Melfi,  and  begged  for  some  light 


^ The  Italian  is  peculiar  : il  colpo  di  Pagolo  era  ito  tanto  ritto  che  non  era 
isfandato. 

2 Staggia  is  the  next  post  on  the  way  to  Florence. 


270 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


horsemen  to  catch  us  up  and  take  us  prisoners^  The 
Duke,  upon  being  informed  that  we  were  the  Cardinal  of 
Ferrara’s  men,  refused  to  give  them  troops  or  leave  to 
follow.  We  meanwhile  arrived  at  Staggia,  where  we  were 
in  safety.  There  we  sent  for  a doctor,  the  best  who  could 
be  had  in  such  a place  ; and  on  his  examining  Pagolo,  we 
discovered  that  the  wound  was  only  skin-deep  ; so  I felt 
sure^  that  he  would  escape  without  mischief.  Then  we 
ordered  dinner  ; and  at  this  juncture  there  arrived  Messer 
Cherubino  and  that  Milanese  simpleton,  who  kept  always 
muttering : “ A plague  upon  your  quarrels,”  and  com- 
plaining that  he  was  excommunicated  because  he  had 
not  been  able  to  say  a single  Paternoster  on  that  holy 
morning.  He  was  very  ugly,  and  his  mouth,  which  nature 
had  made  large,  had  been  expanded  at  least  three  inches 
by  his  wound  ; so  that  what  with  his  ludicrous  Milanese 
jargon  and  his  silly  way  of  talking,  he  gave  us  so  much 
matter  for  mirth,  that,  instead  of  bemoaning  our  ill-luck, 
we  could  not  hold  from  laughing  at  every  word  he  uttered. 
When  the  doctor  wanted  to  sew  up  his  wound,  and  had 
already  made  three  stitches  with  his  needle,  the  fellow 
told  him  to  hold  hard  a while,  since  he  did  not  want  him 
out  of  malice  to  sew  his  whole  mouth  up.  Then  he  took 
up  a spoon,  and  said  he  wished  to  have  his  mouth  left 
open  enough  to  take  that  spoon  in,  in  order  that  he  might 
return  alive  to  his  own  folk.  These  things  he  said  with 
such  odd  waggings  of  the  head,  that  we  never  stopped 
from  laughing,  and  so  pursued  our  journey  mirthfully  to 
Florence. 

We  dismounted  at  the  house  of  my  poor  sister,  who, 
together  with  her  husband,  overwhelmed  us  with  kind 
attentions.  Messer  Cherubino  and  the  Milanese  went  about 
their  business.  In  Florence  we  remained  four  days,  during 
which  Pagolo  got  well.  It  was  lucky  for  us  that  whenever  we 
talked  about  that  Milanese  donkey,  we  laughed  as  much  as 
our  misfortunes  made  us  weep,  so  that  we  kept  laughing  and 
crying  both  at  the  same  moment. 

Pagolo  recovered,  as  I have  said,  with  ease  ; and  then 
we  travelled  toward  Ferrara,  where  we  found  our  lord 

1 The  Duke  of  Melfi,  or  Amalfi,  was  at  this  time  Alfonso  Piccolomini, 
acting  as  captain-general  of  the  Sienese  in  the  interests  of  Charles  V. 

2 Cognobbi.  The  subject  to  this  verb  may  be  either  Cellini  or  the  doctor. 


BOOK  SECOND 


271 


the  Cardinal  had  not  yet  arrived.  He  had  already  heard 
of  all  our  accidents,  and  said,  when  he  expressed  his 
concern  for  them  : “I  pray  to  God  that  I may  be  allowed 
to  bring  you  alive  to  the  King,  according  to  my  promise.^’ 
In  Ferrara  he  sent  me  to  reside  at  a palace  of  his,  a very 
handsome  place  called  Belfiore,  close  under  the  city  walls. 
There  he  provided  me  with  all  things  necessary  for  my 
work.  A little  later,  he  arranged  to  leave  for  France 
without  me ; and  observing  that  I was  very  ill  pleased 
with  this,  he  said  to  me : “ Benvenuto,  I am  acting  for 
your  welfare  ; before  I take  you  out  of  Italy,  I want  you 
to  know  exactly  what  you  will  have  to  do  when  you  come 
to  France.  Meanwhile,  push  on  my  basin  and  the  jug 
with  all  the  speed  you  can.  I shall  leave  orders  with  my 
factor  to  give  you  everything  that  you  may  want.” 

He  then  departed,  and  I remained  sorely  dissatisfied, 
and  more  than  once  I was  upon  the  point  of  taking  myself 
off  without  license.  The  only  thing  which  kept  me  back 
was  that  he  had  procured  my  freedom,  from  Pope  Paolo  ; for 
the  rest,  I was  ill- contented  and  put  to  considerable  losses. 
However,  I clothed  my  mind  with  the  gratitude  due  to 
that  great  benefit,  and  disposed  myself  to  be  patient  and 
to  await  the  termination  of  the  business.  So  I set  myself 
to  work  with  my  two  men,  and  made  great  progress  with 
the  jug  and  basin.  The  air  was  unwholesome  where  we 
lodged,  and  toward  summer  we  all  of  us  suffered  some- 
what in  our  health.  During  our  indisposition  we  went 
about  inspecting  the  domain  ; it  was  very  large,  and  left 
in  a wild  state  for  about  a mile  of  open  ground,  haunted 
too  by  multitudes  of  peacocks,  which  bred  and  nested 
there  like  wildfowl.  This  put  it  into  my  head  to  charge 
my  gun  with  a noiseless  kind  of  powder  ; then  I tracked 
some  of  the  young  birds,  and  every  other  day  killed  one, 
which  furnished  us  with  abundance  of  meat,  of  such 
excellent  quality  that  we  shook  our  sickness  off.  For 
several  months  following  we  went  on  working  merrily, 
and  got  the  jug  and  basin  forward  ; but  it  was  a task  that 
required  much  time. 


272 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


VI 

At  that  period  the  Duke  of  Ferrara  came  to  terms  with 
Pope  Paul  about  some  old  matters  in  dispute  between 
them  relating  to  Modena  and  certain  other  cities.  The 
Church  having  a strong  claim  to  them,  the  Duke  was 
forced  to  purchase  peace  by  paying  down  an  enormous 
sum  of  money ; I think  that  it  exceeded  three  hundred 
thousand  ducats  of  the  Camera.  There  was  an  old 
treasurer  in  the  service  of  the  Duke,  who  had  been 
brought  up  by  his  father,  Duke  Alfonso,  and  was  called 
Messer  Girolamo  Giliolo.  He  could  not  endure  to  see  so 
much  money  going  to  the  Pope,  and  went  about  the 
streets  crying : “ Duke  Alfonso,  his  father,  would  sooner 
have  attacked  and  taken  Rome  with  this  money  than  have 
shown  it  to  the  Pope.”  Nothing  would  induce  him  to 
disburse  it ; at  last,  however,  the  Duke  compelled  him  to 
make  the  payments,  which  caused  the  old  man  such 
anguish  that  he  sickened  of  a dangerous  colic  and  was 
brought  to  death’s  door.  During  this  man’s  illness  the 
Duke  sent  for  me,  and  bade  me  take  his  portrait ; this  I 
did  upon  a circular  piece  of  black  stone  about  the  size  of 
a little  trencher.  The  Duke  took  so  much  pleasure  in  my 
work  and  conversation,  that  he  not  unfrequently  posed 
through  four  or  five  hours  at  a stretch  for  his  own  portrait, 
and  sometimes  invited  me  to  supper.  It  took  me  eight 
days  to  complete  his  likeness ; then  he  ordered  me  to 
design  the  reverse.  On  it  I modelled  Peace,  giving  her 
the  form  of  a woman  with  a torch  in  her  hand,  setting 
fire  to  a trophy  of  arms  ; I portrayed  her  in  an  attitude 
of  gladness,  with  very  thin  drapery,  and  below  her  feet 
lay  Fury  in  despair,  downcast  and  sad,  and  loaded  with 
chains.  I devoted  much  study  and  attention  to  this  work, 
and  it  won  me  the  greatest  honour.  The  Duke  was 
never  tired  of  expressing  his  satisfaction,  and  gave  me 
inscriptions  for  both  sides  of  the  medal.  That  on  the 
reverse  ran  as  follows : Pretiosa  in  conspectu  Domini ; it 
meant  that  his  peace  with  the  Pope  had  been  dearly 
bought. 


BOOK  SECOND 


273 


VII 

While  I was  still  engaged  upon  the  reverse  of  this  medal,  the 
Cardinal  sent  me  letters  bidding  me  prepare  for  my  journey, 
since  the  King  had  asked  after  me.  His  next  communication 
would  contain  full  details  respecting  all  that  he  had  promised. 
Accordingly,  I had  my  jug  and  basin  packed  up,  after  showing 
them  to  the  Duke.  Now  a Ferrarese  gentleman  named  Alberto 
Bendedio  was  the  Cardinal’s  agent,  and  he  had  been  twelve 
years  confined  to  his  house,  without  once  leaving  it,  by  reason 
of  some  physical  infirmity.  One  day  he  sent  in  a vast  hurry 
for  me,  saying  I must  take  the  post  at  once,  in  order  to  pre- 
sent myself  before  the  King  of  France,  who  had  eagerly 
been  asking  for  me,  under  the  impression  that  I was  in 
France.  By  way  of  apology,  the  Cardinal  told  him  that  I 
was  staying,  slightly  indisposed,  in  his  abbey  at  Lyons,  but 
that  he  would  have  me  brought  immediately  to  his  Majesty. 
Therefore  I must  lose  no  time,  but  travel  with  the  post. 

Now  Messer  Alberto  was  a man  of  sterling  worth,  but  proud, 
and  illness  had  made  his  haughty  temper  insupportable.  As 
I have  just  said,  he  bade  me  to  get  ready  on  the  spot  and  take 
the  journey  by  the  common  post.  I said  that  it  was  not  the 
custom  to  pursue  my  profession  in  the  post,  and  that  if  I had 
to  go,  it  was  my  intention  to  make  easy  stages  and  to  take  with 
me  the  workmen  Ascanio  and  Pagolo,  whom  I had  brought 
from  Rome.  Moreover,  I wanted  a servant  on  horseback  to 
be  at  my  orders,  and  money  sufficient  for  my  costs  upon  the 
way.  The  infirm  old  man  replied,  upon  a tone  of  mighty 
haughtiness,  that  the  sons  of  dukes  were  wont  to  travel  as  I 
had  described,  and  in  no  other  fashion.  I retorted  that  the 
sons  of  my  art  travelled  in  the  way  I had  informed  him,  and 
that  not  being  a duke’s  son,  I knew  nothing  about  the  customs 
of  such  folk  ; if  he  treated  me  to  language  with  which  my  ears 
were  unfamiliar,  I would  not  go  at  all ; the  Cardinal  having 
broken  faith  with  me,  and  such  scurvy  words  having  been 
spoken,  I should  make  my  mind  up  once  for  all  to  take  no 
further  trouble  with  the  Ferrarese.  Then  I turned  my  back, 
and,  he  threatening,  I grumbling,  took  my  leave. 

I next  went  to  the  Duke  with  my  medal,  which  was  finished. 
He  received  me  with  the  highest  marks  of  honour  and  esteem. 
It  seems  that  he  had  given  orders  to  Messer  Girolamo  Giliolo 
to  reward  me  for  my  labour  with  a diamond  ring  worth  two 

s 


274 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


hundred  crowns,  which  was  to  be  presented  by  Fiaschino,  his 
chamberlain.  Accordingly,  this  fellow,  on  the  evening  after  I 
had  brought  the  medal,  at  one  hour  past  nightfall,  handed  me 
a ring  with  a diamond  of  showy  appearance,  and  spoke  as 
follows  on  the  part  of  his  master  : “ Take  this  diamond  as  a 
remembrance  of  his  Excellency,  to  adorn  the  unique  artist’s 
hand  which  has  produced  a masterpiece  of  so  singular  merit.” 
When  day  broke,  I examined  the  ring,  and  found  the  stone  to 
be  a miserable  thin  diamond,  worth  about  ten  crowns.  I felt 
sure  that  the  Duke  had  not  meant  to  accompany  such  magni- 
hcent  compliments  with  so  trifling  a gift,  but  that  he  must  have 
intended  to  reward  me  handsomely.  Being  then  convinced 
that  the  trick  proceeded  from  his  rogue  of  a treasurer,  I gave 
the  ring  to  a friend  of  mine,  begging  him  to  return  it  to  the 
chamberlain,  Fiaschino,  as  he  best  could.  The  man  I chose 
was  Bernardo  Saliti,  who  executed  his  commission  admirably. 
Fiaschino  came  at  once  to  see  me,  and  declared,  with  vehe- 
ment expostulations,  that  the  Duke  would  take  it  very  ill  if  I 
refused  a present  he  had  meant  so  kindly  ; perhaps  I should 
have  to  repent  of  my  waywardness.  I answered  that  the  ring 
his  Excellency  had  given  me  was  worth  about  ten  crowns,  and 
that  the  work  I had  done  for  him  was  worth  more  than  two 
hundred.  Wishing,  however,  to  show  his  Excellency  how 
highly  I esteemed  his  courtesy,  I should  be  happj^  if  he 
bestowed  on  me  only  one  of  those  rings  for  the  cramp,  which 
come  from  England  and  are  worth  tenpence.^  I would  treasure 
that  so  long  as  I lived  in  remembrance  of  his  Excellency, 
together  with  the  honourable  message  he  had  sent  me  ; for 
I considered  that  the  splendid  favours  of  his  Excellency 
had  amply  recompensed  my  pains,  whereas  that  paltry  stone 
insulted  them.  This  speech  annoyed  the  Duke  so  much  that 
he  sent  for  his  treasurer,  and  scolded  him  more  sharply 
than  he  had  ever  done  before.  At  the  same  time  he  gave  me 
orders,  under  pain  of  his  displeasure,  not  to  leave  Ferrara 
without  duly  informing  him  ; and  commanded  the  treasurer 
to  present  me  with  a diamond  up  to  three  hundred  crowns  in 
value.  The  miserly  ofiicial  found  a stone  rising  a trifle  above 
sixty  crowns,  and  let  it  be  heard  that  it  was  worth  upwards 
of  two  hundred. 


^ Anello  del  granckio,  a metal  ring  of  lead  and  copper,  such  as  are  now 
worn  in  Italy  under  the  name  of  anello  di  salute. 


BOOK  SECOND 


275 


VIII 

Meanwhile  Messer  Alberto  returned  to  reason,  and  pro- 
vided me  with  all  I had  demanded.  My  mind  was  made  up 
to  quit  Ferrara  without  fail  that  very  day ; but  the  Duke’s 
attentive  chamberlain  arranged  with  Messer  Alberto  that  I 
should  get  no  horses  then.  I had  loaded  a mule  with  my 
baggage,  including  the  case  which  held  the  Cardinal’s  jug 
and  basin.  Just  then  a Ferrarese  nobleman  named  Messer 
Alfonso  de’  Trotti  arrived.^  He  was  far  advanced  in  years, 
and  a person  of  excessive  affectation  ; a great  dilettante  of 
the  arts,  but  one  of  those  men  who  are  very  difficult  to 
satisfy,  and  who,  if  they  chance  to  stumble  on  something 
which  suits  their  taste,  exalt  it  so  in  their  own  fancy  that 
they  never  expect  to  see  the  like  of  it  again.  Well,  this 
Messer  Alfonso  arrived,  and  Messer  Alberto  said  to  him  : 
“ I am  sorry  that  you  are  come  so  late  ; the  jug  and  basin 
we  are  sending  to  the  Cardinal  in  France  have  been  already 
packed.”  He  answered  that  it  did  not  signify  to  him  ; and 
beckoning  to  his  servant,  sent  him  home  to  fetch  a jug  in 
white  Faenzo  clay,  the  workmanship  of  which  was  very 
exquisite.  During  the  time  the  servant  took  to  go  and  re- 
turn, Messer  Alfonso  said  to  Messer  Alberto  : “ I will  tell 
you  why  I do  not  care  any  longer  to  look  at  vases ; it  is 
that  I once  beheld  a piece  of  silver,  antique,  of  such  beauty 
and  such  finish  that  the  human  imagination  cannot  possibly 
conceive  its  rarity.  Therefore  I would  rather  not  inspect 
any  objects  of  the  kind,  for  fear  of  spoiling  the  unique  im- 
pression I retain  of  that.  I must  tell  you  that  a gentleman 
of  great  quality  and  accomplishments,  who  went  to  Rome 
upon  matters  of  business,  had  this  antique  vase  shown  to 
him  in  secret.  By  adroitly  using  a large  sum  of  money,  he 
bribed  the  person  in  whose  hands  it  was,  and  brought  it 
with  him  to  these  parts  ; but  he  keeps  it  jealously  from  all 
eyes,  in  order  that  the  Duke  may  not  get  wind  of  it,  fearing 
he  should  in  some  way  be  deprived  of  his  treasure.  ” While 
spinning  out  this  lengthy  yarn,  Messer  Alfonso  did  not  look 
at  me,  because  we  were  not  previously  acquainted.  But 

^ This  man  was  a member  of  a very  noble  Ferrarese  family,  and  much 
esteemed  for  his  official  talents. 


276 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


when  that  precious  clay  model  appeared,  he  displayed  it 
with  such  airs  of  ostentation,  pomp,  and  mountebank  cere- 
mony, that,  after  inspecting  it,  I turned  to  Messer  Alberto 
and  said  : “I  am  indeed  lucky  to  have  had  the  privilege  to 
see  it ! ” 1 Messer  Alfonso,  quite  affronted,  let  some  con- 
temptuous words  escape  him,  and  exclaimed : “ Who  are 
you,  then,  you  who  do  not  know  what  you  are  saying?’^ 
I replied : “ Listen  for  a moment,  and  afterwards  judge 
which  of  us  knows  best  what  he  is  saying  ? Then  turning 
to  Messer  Alberto,  who  was  a man  of  great  gravity  and 
talent,  I began  : “ This  is  a copy  from  a little  silver  goblet, 
of  such  and  such  a weight,  which  I made  at  such  and  such 
a time  for  that  charlatan  Maestro  Jacopo,  the  surgeon  from 
Carpi.  He  came  to  Rome  and  spent  six  months  there, 
during  which  he  bedaubed  some  scores  of  noblemen  and 
unfortunate  gentlefolk  with  his  dirty  salves,  extracting  many 
thousands  of  ducats  from  their  pockets.  At  that  time  I 
made  for  him  this  vase  and  one  of  a different  pattern.  He 
paid  me  very  badly  ; and  at  the  present  moment  in  Rome 
all  the  miserable  people  who  used  his  ointment  are  crippled 
and  in  a deplorable  state  of  health.  ^ It  is  indeed  great 
glory  for  me  that  my  works  are  held  in  such  repute  among 
you  wealthy  lords  ; but  I can  assure  you  that  during  these 
many  years  past  I have  been  progressing  in  my  art  with  all 
my  might,  and  I think  that  the  vase  I am  taking  with  me 
into  France  is  far  more  worthy  of  cardinals  and  kings  than 
that  piece  belonging  to  your  little  quack  doctor.” 

After  I had  made  this  speech,  Messer  Alfonso  seemed 
dying  with  desire  to  see  the  jug  and  basin,  but  I refused 
to  open  the  box.  We  remained  some  while  disputing  the 
matter,  when  he  said  that  he  would  go  to  the  Duke  and 
get  an  order  from  his  Excellency  to  have  it  shown  him. 
Then  Messer  Alberto  Bendedio,  in  the  high  and  mighty 
manner  which  belonged  to  him,  exclaimed  : “ Before  you 
leave  this  room,  Messer  Alfonso,  you  shall  see  it,  without 
employing  the  Duke’s  influence.”  On  hearing  these  words  I 
took  my  leave,  and  left  Ascanio  and  Pagolo  to  show  it.  They 
told  me  afterwards  that  he  had  spoken  enthusiastically  in  my 

^ Pur  heato  che  io  V ho  ved2Uo  ! Leclanche  translates  thus  : “ Par  Dieu  / it 
y a longtemps  queje  Vai  vu  ! “ I think  Cellini  probably  meant  to  hint  that  he 
had  seen  it  before. 

2 See  above,  book  i.,  p.  47,  for  this  story. 


BOOK  SECOND 


277 


praise.  After  this  he  wanted  to  become  better  acquainted 
with  me  ; but  I was  wearying  to  leave  Ferrara  and  get  away 
from  all  its  folk.  The  only  advantages  I had  enjoyed  there 
were  the  society  of  Cardinal  Salviati  and  the  Cardinal  of 
Ravenna,  and  the  friendship  of  some  ingenious  musicians  ; ^ 
no  one  else  had  been  to  me  of  any  good  ; for  the  Ferrarese 
are  a very  avaricious  people,  greedy  of  their  neighbours’ 
money,  however  they  may  lay  their  hands  on  it ; they  are 
all  the  same  in  this  respect. 

At  the  hour  of  twenty-two  Fiaschino  arrived,  and  gave 
me  the  diamond  of  sixty  crowns,  of  which  I spoke  above. 
He  told  me,  with  a hang-dog  look  and  a few  brief  words, 
that  I might  wear  it  for  his  Excellency’s  sake.  I replied  : 

“ I will  do  so.”  Then  putting  my  foot  in  the  stirrup  in  his 
presence,  I set  off  upon  my  travels  without  further  leave- 
taking.  The  man  noted  down  my  act  and  words,  and  re- 
ported them  to  the  Duke,  who  was  highly  incensed,  and- 
showed  a strong  inclination  to  make  me  retrace  my  steps. 


IX 

That  evening  I rode  more  than  ten  miles,  always  at  a 
trot ; and  when,  upon  the  next  day,  I found  myself  outside 
the  Ferrarese  domain,  I felt  excessively  relieved  ; indeed  I 
had  met  with  nothing  to  my  liking  there,  except  those  pea- 
cocks which  restored  my  health.  We  journeyed  by  the 
Monsanese,  avoiding  the  city  of  Milan  on  account  of  the 
apprehension  I have  spoken  of  ; ^ so  that  we  arrived  safe  and 
sound  at  Lyons.  Counting  Pagolo  and  Ascanio  and  a ser- 
vant, we  were  four  men,  with  four  very  good  horses.  At 
Lyons  we  waited  several  days  for  the  muleteer,  who  carried 
the  silver  cup  and  basin,  as  well  as  our  other  baggage  ; our 
lodging  was  in  an  abbey  of  the  Cardinal’s.  When  the  mule- 
teer arrived,  we  loaded  all  our  goods  upon  a little  cart,  and 
then  set  off  toward  Paris.  On  the  road  we  met  with  some 
annoyances,  but  not  of  any  great  moment. 

^ Cardinal  Giovanni  Salviati  was  Archbishop  ot  Ferrara  ; Cardinal  Bene- 
detto Accolti,  Archbishop  of  Ravenna,  was  then  staying  at  Ferrara  ; the  court 
was  famous  for  its  excellent  orchestra  and  theatrical  display  of  all  kinds. 

^ The  Monsanese  is  the  Mont  Cenis.  Cellini  forgets  that  he  has  not  men- 
tioned this  apprehension  which  made  him  turn  aside  from  Milan.  It  may 
have  been  the  fear  of  plague,  or  perhaps  of  some  enemy 


278 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


We  found  the  Court  of  the  King  at  Fontana  Belid  ; ^ there 
we  presented  ourselves  to  the  Cardinal,  who  provided  us  at 
once  with  lodgings,  and  that  evening  we  were  comfortable. 
On  the  following  day  the  cart  turned  up  ; so  we  unpacked 
our  things,  and  when  the  Cardinal  heard  this  he  told  the 
King,  who  expressed  a wish  to  see  me  at  once.  I went  to 
his  Majesty  with  the  cup  and  basin  ; then,  upon  entering 
his  presence,  I kissed  his  knee,  and  he  received  me  very 
graciously.  I thanked  his  Majesty  for  freeing  me  from 
prison,  saying  that  all  princes  unique  for  generosity  upon 
this  earth,  as  was  his  Majesty,  lay  under  special  obligations 
to  set  free  men  of  talent,  and  particularly  those  that  were 
innocent,  as  I was  ; such  benefits,  I added,  were  inscribed 
upon  the  book  of  God  before  any  other  good  actions.  The 
King,  while  I was  delivering  this  speech,  continued  listening 
till  the  end  with  the  utmost  courtesy,  dropping  a few  words 
such  as  only  he  could  utter.  Then  he  took  the  vase  and 
basin,  and  exclaimed : “ Of  a truth  I hardly  think  the 

ancients  can  have  seen  a piece  so  beautiful  as  this.  I well 
remember  to  have  inspected  all  the  best  works,  and  by  the 
greatest  masters  of  all  Italy,  but  I never  set  my  eyes  on 
anything  which  stirred  me  to  such  admiration.^’  These 
words  the  king  addressed  in  French  to  the  Cardinal  of 
Ferrara,  with  many  others  of  even  warmer  praise.  Then 
he  turned  to  me  and  said  in  Italian  : “ Benvenuto,  amuse 
yourself  for  a few  days,  make  good  cheer,  and  spend  your 
time  in  pleasure ; in  the  meanwhile  we  will  think  of 
giving  you  the  wherewithal  to  execute  some  fine  works  of 
art  for  us.” 


X 

The  Cardinal  of  Ferrara  saw  that  the  King  had  been 
vastly  pleased  by  my  arrival  ; he  also  judged  that  the  trifles 
which  I showed  him  of  my  handicraft  had  encouraged  him 
to  hope  for  the  execution  of  some  considerable  things  he 
had  in  mind.  At  this  time,  however,  we  were  following  the 
court  with  the  weariest  trouble  and  fatigue  ; the  reason  of 
this  was  that  the  train  of  the  King  drags  itself  along  with 
never  less  than  12,000  horse  behind  it  ; this  calculation  is 
the  very  lowest ; for  when  the  court  is  complete  in  times 

^ It  is  thus  that  Cellini  always  writes  Fontainebleau. 


BOOK  SECOND 


279 


of  peace,  there  are  some  18,000,  which  makes  12,000  less 
than  the  average.  Consequently  we  had  to  journey  after 
it  through  places  where  sometimes  there  were  scarcely  two 
houses  to  be  found  ; and  then  we  set  up  canvas  tents  like 
gipsies,  and  suffered  at  times  very  great  discomfort.  I 
therefore  kept  urging  the  Cardinal  to  put  the  King  in  mind 
of  employing  me  in  some  locality  where  I could  stop  and 
work.  The  Cardinal  answered  that  it  was  far  better  to  wait 
until  the  King  should  think  of  it  himself,  and  that  I ought 
to  show  myself  at  times  to  his  Majesty  while  he  was  at 
table.  This  I did  then  ; and  one  morning,  at  his  dinner, 
the  King  called  me.  He  began  to  talk  to  me  in  Italian, 
saying  he  had  it  in  his  mind  to  execute  several  great  works, 
and  that  he  would  soon  give  orders  where  I was  to  labour, 
and  provide  me  with  all  necessaries.  These  communications 
he  mingled  with  discourse  on  divers  pleasant  matters.  The 
Cardinal  of  Ferrara  was  there,  because  he  almost  always 
ate  in  the  morning  at  the  King’s  table.  He  had  heard 
our  conversation,  and  when  the  King  rose,  he  spoke  in 
my  favour  to  this  purport,  as  I afterwards  was  informed  : 
“Sacred  Majesty,  this  man  Benvenuto  is  very  eager  to  get 
to  work  again  ; it  seems  almost  a sin  to  let  an  artist  of  his 
abilities  waste  his  time.”  The  King  replied  that  he  had 
spoken  well,  and  told  him  to  arrange  with  me  all  things  for 
my  support  according  to  my  wishes. 

Upon  the  evening  of  the  day  when  he  received  this  com- 
mission, the  Cardinal  sent  for  me  after  supper,  and  told  me 
that  his  Majesty  was  resolved  to  let  me  begin  working,  but 
that  he  wanted  me  first  to  come  to  an  understanding  about 
my  appointments.  To  this  the  Cardinal  added  : “It  seems 
to  me  that  if  his  Majesty  allows  you  three  hundred  crowns 
a year,  you  will  be  able  to  keep  yourself  very  well  indeed  ; 
furthermore,  I advise  you  to  leave  yourself  in  my  hands,  for 
every  day  offers  the  opportunity  of  doing  some  service  in 
this  great  kingdom,  and  I shall  exert  myself  with  vigour  in 
your  interest.”  Then  I began  to  speak  as  follows : “ When 
your  most  reverend  lordship  left  me  in  Ferrara,  you  gave 
me  a promise,  which  I had  never  asked  for,  not  to  bring  me 
out  of  Italy  before  I clearly  understood  the  terms  on  which 
I should  be  placed  here  with  his  Majesty.  Instead  of  send- 
ing to  communicate  these  details,  your  most  reverend  lord- 
ship  urgently  ordered  me  to  come  by  the  post,  as  if  an  art 


28o 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


like  mine  was  carried  on  post-haste.  Had  you  written  to 
tell  me  of  three  hundred  crowns,  as  you  have  now  spoken, 
I would  not  have  stirred  a foot  for  twice  that  sum.  Never- 
theless, I thank  God  and  your  most  reverend  lordship  for 
all  things,  seeing  God  has  employed  you  as  the  instrument 
for  my  great  good  in  procuring  my  liberation  from  imprison- 
ment. Therefore  I assure  your  lordship  that  all  the  troubles 
you  are  now  causing  me  fall  a thousand  times  short  of  the 
great  good  which  you  have  done  me.  With  all  my  heart  I 
thank  you,  and  take  good  leave  of  you  ; wherever  I may  be, 
so  long  as  I have  life,  I will  pray  God  for  you.”  The  Car- 
dinal was  greatly  irritated,  and  cried  out  in  a rage  : “ Go 
where  you  choose  ; it  is  impossible  to  help  people  against 
their  will.”  Some  of  his  good-for-nothing  courtiers  who 
were  present  said  : “ That  fellow  sets  great  store  on  himself, 
for  he  is  refusing  three  hundred  ducats  a year.”  Another, 
who  was  a man  of  talent,  replied  : “ The  King  will  never 
find  his  equal,  and  our  Cardinal  wants  to  cheapen  him,  as 
though  he  were  a load  of  wood.”  This  was  Messer  Luigi 
Alamanni  who  spoke  to  the  above  effect,  as  I was  afterwards 
informed.  All  this  happened  on  the  last  day  of  October,  in 
Dauphind,  at  a castle  the  name  of  which  I do  not  remember. 


XI 

On  leaving  the  Cardinal  I repaired  to  my  lodging,  which 
was  three  miles  distant,  in  company  with  a secretary  of  the 
Cardinal  returning  to  the  same  quarters.  On  the  road,  this 
man  never  stopped  asking  me  what  I meant  to  do  with 
myself,  and  what  my  own  terms  regarding  the  appointment 
would  have  been.  I gave  him  only  one  word  back  for 
answer,  which  was  that — I knew  all.  When  we  came  to 
our  quarters,  I found  Pagolo  and  Ascanio  there  ; and  seeing 
me  much  troubled,  they  implored  me  to  tell  them  what  was 
the  matter.  To  the  poor  young  men,  who  were  all  dis- 
mayed, I said  for  answer:  “To-morrow  I shall  give  you 
money  amply  sufficient  for  your  journey  home.  I mean 
myself  to  go  about  a most  important  business  without  you, 
which  for  a long  time  I have  had  it  in  my  mind  to  do.” 
Our  room  adjoined  that  of  the  secretary  ; and  I think  it  not 
improbable  that  he  wrote  to  the  Cardinal,  and  informed  him 


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281 


of  my  purpose.  However,  I never  knew  anything  for  cer- 
tain about  this.  The  night  passed  without  sleep,  and  I kept 
wearying  for  the  day,  in  order  to  carry  out  my  resolution. 

No  sooner  did  it  dawn  than  I ordered  out  the  horses, 
made  my  preparations  in  a moment,  and  gave  the  two  young 
men  everything  which  I had  brought  with  me,  and  fifty 
ducats  of  gold  in  addition.  I reserved  the  same  sum  for 
myself,  together  with  the  diamond  the  Duke  had  given  me  ; 
I only  kept  two  shirts  and  some  well-worn  riding-clothes 
which  I had  upon  my  back.  I found  it  almost  impossible 
to  get  free  of  the  two  young  men,  who  insisted  upon  going 
with  me,  whatever  happened.  At  last  I was  obliged  to 
treat  them  with  contempt,  and  use  this  language  : “ One  of 
you  has  his  first  beard,  and  the  other  is  just  getting  it ; and 
both  of  you  have  learned  as  much  from  me  as  I could  teach 
in  my  poor  art,  so  that  you  are  now  the  first  craftsmen 
among  the  youths  of  Italy.  Are  you  not  ashamed  to  have 
no  courage  to  quit  this  go-cart,  but  must  always  creep  about 
in  leading-strings  ? The  thing  is  too  disgraceful ! Or  if 
I were  to  send  you  away  without  money,  what  would  you 
say  then  ? Come,  take  yourselves  out  of  my  sight,  and  may 
God  bless  you  a thousand  times.  Farewell ! 

I turned  my  horse  and  left  them  weeping.  Then  I took  my 
way  along  a very  fair  road  through  a forest,  hoping  to  make  at 
least  forty  miles  that  day,  and  reach  the  most  out-of-the-way 
place  I could.  I had  already  ridden  about  two  miles,  and 
during  that  short  time  had  resolved  never  to  revisit  any 
of  those  parts  where  I was  known.  I also  determined  to 
abandon  my  art  so  soon  as  I had  made  a Christ  three  cubits  in 
height,  reproducing,  so  far  as  I was  able,  that  infinite  beauty 
which  He  had  Himself  revealed  to  me.  So  then,  being 
thoroughly  resolved,  I turned  my  face  toward  the  Holy  Sepul- 
chre.i  Just  when  I thought  I had  got  so  far  that  nobody 
could  find  me,  I heard  horses  galloping  after.  They  filled 
me  with  some  uneasiness,  because  that  district  is  infested 
with  a race  of  brigands,  who  bear  the  name  of  Venturers, 
and  are  apt  to  murder  men  upon  the  road.  Though  numbers 
of  them  are  hanged  every  day,  it  seems  as  though  they  did 
not  care.  However,  when  the  riders  approached,  I found 
they  were  a messenger  from  the  King  and  my  lad  Ascanio. 


^ See  above,  p.  243,  for  Cellini’s  vow  in  the  Castle  of  S.  Angelo. 


282 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


The  former  came  up  to  me  and  said  : “ From  the  King  I order 
you  to  come  immediately  to  his  presence.”  I replied  : “ You 
have  been  sent  by  the  Cardinal,  and  for  this  reason  I will  not 
come.”  The  man  said  that  since  gentle  usage  would  not  bring 
me,  he  had  authority  to  raise  the  folk,  and  they  would  take  me 
bound  hand  and  foot  like  a prisoner.  Ascanio,  for  his  part,  did 
all  he  could  to  persuade  me,  reminding  me  that  when  the  King 
sent  a man  to  prison,  he  kept  him  there  five  years  at  least 
before  he  let  him  out  again.  This  word  about  the  prison, 
when  I remembered  what  I had  endured  in  Rome,  struck  such 
terror  into  me,  that  I wheeled  my  horse  round  briskly  and 
followed  the  King’s  messenger.  He  kept  perpetually  chatter- 
ing in  French  through  all  our  journey,  up  to  the  very  precincts 
of  the  court,  at  one  time  bullying,  now  saying  one  thing,  then 
another,  till  I felt  inclined  to  deny  God  and  the  world. 

XII 

On  our  way  to  the  lodgings  of  the  King  we  passed  before 
those  of  the  Cardinal  of  Ferrara.  Standing  at  his  door, 
he  called  to  me  and  said  : “ Our  most  Christian  monarch 
has  of  his  own  accord  assigned  you  the  same  appointments 
which  his  Majesty  allowed  the  painter  Lionardo  da  Vinci, 
that  is,  a salary  of  seven  hundred  crowns  ; in  addition,  he 
will  pay  you  for  all  the  works  you  do  for  him  ; also  for 
your  journey  hither  he  gives  you  five  hundred  golden  crowns, 
which  will  be  paid  you  before  you  quit  this  place.”  At  the 
end  of  this  announcement,  I replied  that  those  were  offers 
worthy  of  the  great  King  he  was.  The  messenger,  not  know- 
ing anything  about  me,  and  hearing  what  splendid  offers  had 
been  made  me  by  the  King,  begged  my  pardon  over  and  over 
again.  Pagolo  and  Ascanio  exclaimed  : “ It  is  God  who  has 
helped  us  to  get  back  into  so  honoured  a go-cart ! ” 

On  the  day  following  I went  to  thank  the  King,  who 
ordered  me  to  make  the  models  of  twelve  silver  statues, 
which  were  to  stand  as  candelabra  round  his  table.  He  wanted 
them  to  represent  six  gods  and  six  goddesses,  and  to  have 
exactly  the  same  height  as  his  Majesty,  which  was  a trifle 
under  four  cubits.  Having  dictated  this  commission,  he 
turned  to  his  treasurer,  and  asked  whether  he  had  paid  me 
the  five  hundred  crowns.  The  official  said  that  he  had  re- 
ceived no  orders  to  that  effect.  The  king  took  this  very  ill. 


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283 


for  he  had  requested  the  Cardinal  to  speak  to  him  about  it. 
Furthermore,  he  told  me  to  go  to  Paris  and  seek  out  a place 
to  live  in,  fitted  for  the  execution  of  such  Avorks  ; he  would 
see  that  I obtained  it. 

I got  the  five  hundred  crowns  of  gold,  and  took  up  my 
quarters  at  Paris  in  a house  of  the  Cardinal  of  Ferrara.  There 
I began,  in  God's  nam.e,  to  work,  and  fashioned  four  little 
waxen  models,  about  two-thirds  of  a cubit  each  in  height. 
They  were  Jupiter,  Juno,  Apollo,  and  Vulcan.  In  this  while 
the  King  returned  to  Paris  ; whereupon  I went  to  him  at  once, 
taking  my  models  with  me,  and  my  two  prentices,  Ascanio 
and  Pagolo.  On  perceiving  that  the  King  was  pleased 
with  my  work,  and  being  commissioned  to  execute  the 
Jupiter  in  silver  of  the  height  above  described,  I introduced 
the  two  young  men,  and  said  that  I had  brought  them  with 
me  out  of  Italy  to  serve  his  Majesty  ; for  inasmuch  as  they 
had  been  brought  up  by  me,  I could  at  the  beginning  get 
more  help  from  them  than  from  the  Paris  workmen.  To 
this  the  King  replied  that  I might  name  a salary  which 
I thought  sufficient  for  their  maintenance.  I said  that  a 
hundred  crowns  of  gold  apiece  would  be  quite  proper, 
and  that  I would  make  them  earn  their  wages  well.  This 
agreement  was  concluded.  Then  I said  that  I had  found 
a place  which  seemed  to  me  exactly  suited  to  my  industry ; 
it  was  his  Majesty's  own  property,  and  called  the  Little 
Nello.  The  Provost  of  Paris  was  then  in  possession  of  it 
from  his  Majesty  ; but  since  the  Provost  made  no  use  of 
the  castle,  his  Majesty  perhaps  might  grant  it  me  to 
employ  in  his  service.^  He  replied  upon  the  instant : 
“ That  place  is  my  own  house,  and  I know  well  that  the 
man  I gave  it  to  does  not  inhabit  or  use  it.  So  you  shall 
have  it  for  the  work  you  have  to  do."  He  then  told  his 
lieutenant  to  install  me  in  the  Nello.  This  officer  made 
some  resistance,  pleading  that  he  could  not  carry  out 
the  order.  The  King  answered  in  anger  that  he  meant  to 
bestow  his  property  on  whom  he  pleased,  and  on  a man 
who  would  serve  him,  seeing  that  he  got  nothing  from 
the  other ; therefore  he  would  hear  no  more  about  it. 
The  lieutenant  then  submitted  that  some  small  force  would 

^ This  was  the  castle  of  Le  Petit  Nesle,  on  the  site  of  which  now  stands 
the  Palace  of  the  Institute.  The  Provost  of  Paris  was  then  Jean  d’Estouteville, 
lord  of  Villebon. 


284 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


have  to  be  employed  in  order  to  effect  an  entrance.  To 
which  the  King  answered  : “ Go,  then,  and  if  a small  force 
is  not  enough,  use  a great  one/’ 

The  officer  took  me  immediately  to  the  castle,  and  there 
put  me  in  possession,  not,  however,  without  violence  ; after 
that  he  warned  me  to  take  very  good  care  that  I was  not 
murdered.  I installed  myself,  enrolled  serving-men,  and 
bought  a quantity  of  pikes  and  partisans  ; but  I remained 
for  several  days  exposed  to  grievous  annoyances,  for  the 
Provost  was  a great  nobleman  of  Paris,  and  all  the  other 
gentlefolk  took  part  against  me  ; they  attacked  me  with 
such  insults  that  I could  hardly  hold  my  own  against 
them.  I must  not  omit  to  mention  that  I entered  the 
service  of  his  Majesty  in  the  year  1540,  which  was  exactly 
the  year  in  which  I reached  the  age  of  forty. 


XIII 

The  affronts  and  insults  I received  made  me  have  re- 
course to  the  King,  begging  his  Majesty  to  establish  me  in 
some  other  place.  He  answered:  “Who  are  you,  and 
what  is  your  name  ? ” I remained  in  great  confusion,  and 
could  not  comprehend  what  he  meant.  Holding  my  tongue 
thus,  the  King  repeated  the  same  words  a second  time 
angrily.  Then  I said  my  name  was  Benvenuto.  “ If,  then, 
you  are  the  Benvenuto  of  whom  I have  heard,”  replied  the 
King,  “act  according  to  your  wont,  for  you  have  my  full 
leave  to  do  so.”  I told  his  Majesty  that  all  I wanted  was 
to  keep  his  favour  ; for  the  rest,  I knew  of  nothing  that 
could  harm  me.  He  gave  a little  laugh,  and  said:  “Go 
your  ways,  then  ; you  shall  never  want  my  favour.”  Upon 
this  he  told  his  first  secretary.  Monsignor  di  Villerois,  to 
see  me  provided  and  accommodated  with  all  I needed.^ 

This  Villerois  was  an  intimate  friend  of  the  Provost,  to 
whom  the  castle  had  been  given.  It  was  built  in  a triangle, 
right  up  against  the  city  walls,  and  was  of  some  antiquity, 
but  had  no  garrison.  The  building  was  of  considerable 
size.  Monsignor  di  Villerois  counselled  me  to  look  about 
for  something  else,  and  by  all  means  to  leave  this  place 


M.  Nicholas  de  Neufville,  lord  of  Villeroy. 


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285 


alone,  seeing  that  its  owner  was  a man  of  vast  power,  who 
would  most  assuredly  have  me  killed.  I answered  that  I 
had  come  from  Italy  to  France  only  in  order  to  serve  that 
illustrious  King ; and  as  for  dying,  I knew  for  certain  that 
die  I must ; a little  earlier  or  a little  later  was  a matter  of 
supreme  indifference  to  me. 

Now  Villerois  was  a man  of  the  highest  talent,  excep- 
tionally distinguished  in  all  points,  and  possessed  of  vast 
wealth.  There  was  nothing  he  would  not  gladly  have 
done  to  harm  me,  but  he  made  no  open  demonstration  of 
his  mind.  He  was  grave,  and  of  a noble  presence,  and 
spoke  slowly,  at  his  ease.  To  another  gentleman.  Monsignor 
di  Marmagna,  the  treasurer  of  Languedoc,  he  left  the  duty 
of  molesting  me.^  The  first  thing  which  this  man  did 
was  to  look  out  the  best  apartments  in  the  castle,  and  to 
have  them  fitted  up  for  himself.  I told  him  that  the 
King  had  given  me  the  place  to  serve  him  in,  and  that 
I did  not  choose  it  should  be  occupied  by  any  but  myself 
and  my  attendants.  The  fellow,  who  was  haughty,  bold, 
and  spirited,  replied  that  he  meant  to  do  just  what  he 
liked  ; that  I should  run  my  head  against  a wall  if  I 
presumed  to  oppose  him,  and  that  Villerois  had  given  him 
authority  to  do  what  he  was  doing.  I told  him  that,  by 
the  King^s  authority  given  to  me,  neither  he  nor  Villerois 
could  do  it.  When  I said  that  he  gave  vent  to  offensive 
language  in  French,  whereat  I retorted  in  my  own  tongue 
that  he  lied.  Stung  with  rage,  he  clapped  his  hand  upon 
a little  dagger  which  he  had  ; then  I set  my  hand  also 
to  a large  dirk  which  I always  wore  for  my  defence,  and 
cried  out  : “ If  you  dare  to  draw,  Fll  kill  you  on  the  spot.’’ 
He  had  two  servants  to  back  him,  and  I had  my  two  lads. 
For  a moment  or  two  Marmagna  stood  in  doubt,  not  know- 
ing exactly  what  to  do,  but  rather  inclined  to  mischief, 
and  muttering  : “ I will  never  put  up  with  such  insults.” 
Seeing  then  that  the  affair  was  taking  a bad  turn,  I took 
a sudden  resolution,  and  cried  to  Pagolo  and  Ascanio : 
“When  you  see  me  draw  my  dirk,  throw  yourselves  upon 
those  serving-men,  and  kill  them  if  you  can  ; I mean  to 
kill  this  fellow  at  the  first  stroke,  and  then  we  will  decamp 
together,  with  God’s  grace.”  Marmagna,  when  he  under- 


Fran^ois  I’Allemand,  Seigneur  de  Marmagne. 


286  LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 

stood  my  purpose,  was  glad  enough  to  get  alive  out  of  the 
castle. 

All  these  things,  toning  them  down  a trifle,  I wrote  to 
the  Cardinal  of  Ferrara,  who  related  them  at  once  to  the 
King.  The  King,  deeply  irritated,  committed  me  to  the 
care  of  another  officer  of  his  bodyguard  who  was  named 
Monsignor  lo  Iscontro  d’Orbech.^  By  him  I was  accom- 
modated with  all  that  I required  in  the  most  gracious  way 
imaginable. 


XIV 

After  fitting  up  my  own  lodgings  in  the  castle  and  the 
workshop  with  all  conveniences  for  carrying  on  my  busi- 
ness, and  putting  my  household  upon  a most  respectable 
footing,  I began  at  once  to  construct  three  models  exactly 
of  the  size  which  the  silver  statues  were  to  be.  These 
were  Jupiter,  Vulcan,  and  Mars.  I moulded  them  in  clay, 
and  set  them  well  up  on  irons  ; then  I went  to  the  King, 
who  disbursed  three  hundred  pounds  weight  of  silver,  if  I 
remember  rightly,  for  the  commencement  of  the  under- 
taking. While  I was  getting  these  things  ready,  we 
brought  the  little  vase  and  oval  basin  to  completion,  which 
had  been  several  months  in  hand.  Then  I had  them 
richly  gilt,  and  they  showed  like  the  finest  piece  of  plate 
which  had  been  seen  in  France. 

Afterwards  I took  them  to  the  Cardinal,  who  thanked 
me  greatly  ; and,  without  requesting  my  attendance,  carried 
and  presented  them  to  the  King.  He  was  delighted  with 
the  gift,  and  praised  me  as  no  artist  was  ever  praised 
before.  In  return,  he  bestowed  upon  the  Cardinal  an 
abbey  worth  seven  thousand  crowns  a year,  and  expressed 
his  intention  of  rewarding  me  too.  The  Cardinal,  how- 
ever, prevented  him,  telling  his  Majesty  that  he  was  going 
ahead  too  fast,  since  I had  as  yet  produced  nothing  for 
him.  The  King,  who  was  exceedingly  generous,  replied  : 
“ For  that  very  reason  will  I put  heart  and  hope  into  him.” 
The  Cardinal,  ashamed  at  his  own  meanness,  said  : “ Sire, 
I beg  you  to  leave  that  to  me  ; I will  allow  him  a pension 
of  at  least  three  hundred  crowns  when  I have  taken 


^ Le  Vicomte  d’Orbec.  It  seems  that  by  Iscontro  Cellini  meant  Viscount. 


BOOK  SECOND 


287 


possession  of  the  abbey.”  He  never  gave  me  anything ; 
and  it  would  be  tedious  to  relate  all  the  knavish  tricks 
of  this  prelate.  I prefer  to  dwell  on  matters  of  greater 
moment. 


XV 

When  I returned  to  Paris,  the  great  favour  shown  me  by 
the  King  made  me  a mark  for  all  men’s  admiration.  I re- 
ceived the  silver  and  began  my  statue  of  Jupiter.  Many 
journeymen  were  now  in  my  employ ; and  the  work  went 
onward  briskly  day  and  night ; so  that,  by  the  time  I had 
finished  the  clay  models  of  Jupiter,  Vulcan,  and  Mars,  and 
had  begun  to  get  the  silver  statue  forward,  my  workshop 
made  already  a grand  show. 

The  King  now  came  to  Paris,  and  I went  to  pay  him  my 
respects.  No  sooner  had  his  Majesty  set  eyes  upon  me 
than  he  called  me  cheerfully,  and  asked  if  I had  something 
line  to  exhibit  at  my  lodging,  for  he  would  come  to  inspect 
it.  I related  all  I had  been  doing ; upon  which  he  was 
seized  with  a strong  desire  to  come.  Accordingly,  after 
his  dinner,  he  set  off  with  Madame  de  Tampes,  the  Cardinal 
of  Lorraine,  and  some  other  of  his  greatest  nobles,  among 
whom  were  the  King  of  Navarre,  his  cousin,  and  the  Queen, 
his  sister ; the  Dauphin  and  Dauphiness  also  attended  him  ; 
so  that  upon  that  day  the  very  flower  of  the  French  court 
came  to  visit  me.^  I had  been  some  time  at  home,  and  was 
hard  at  work.  When  the  King  arrived  at  the  door  of  the 
castle,  and  heard  our  hammers  going,  he  bade  his  company 
keep  silence.  Everybody  in  my  house  was  busily  employed, 
so  that  the  unexpected  entrance  of  his  Majesty  took  me  by 
surprise.  The  first  thing  he  saw  on  coming  into  the  great 
hall  was  myself  with  a huge  plate  of  silver  in  ’my  hand, 
which  I was  beating  for  the  body  of  my  Jupiter ; one  of 
my  men  was  finishing  the  head,  another  the  legs  ; and  it  is 
easy  to  imagine  what  a din  we  made  between  us.  It  hap- 
pened that  a little  French  lad  was  working  at  my  side,  who 

^ These  personages  were  Madame  d’Etampes,  the  King’s  mistress ; John 
of  Lorraine,  son  of  Duke  Renee  II.,  who  was  made  Cardinal  in  1518;  Henri 
d’Albret  II.  and  Marguerite  de  Valois,  his  wife ; the  Dauphin,  afterwards 
Henri  11. , and  his  wife,  the  celebrated  Caterina  de’  Medici,  daughter  of 
Lorenzo,  Duke  of  Urbino. 


288 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


had  just  been  guilty  of  some  trifling  blunder.  I gave  the 
lad  a kick,  and,  as  my  good  luck  would  have  it,  caught  him 
with  my  foot  exactly  in  the  fork  between  his  legs,  and  sent 
him  spinning  several  yards,  so  that  he  came  stumbling  up 
against  the  King  precisely  at  the  moment  when  his  Majesty 
arrived.  The  King  was  vastly  amused,  but  I felt  covered 
with  confusion.  He  began  to  ask  me  what  I was  engaged 
upon,  and  told  me  to  go  on  working  ; then  he  said  that  he 
would  much  rather  have  me  not  employ  my  strength  on 
manual  labour,  but  take  as  many  men  as  I wanted,  and  make 
them  do  the  rough  work  ; he  should  like  me  to  keep  myself 
in  health,  in  order  that  he  might  enjoy  my  services  through 
many  years  to  come.  I replied  to  his  Majesty  that  the 
moment  I left  off  working  I should  fall  ill ; also  that  my  art 
itself  would  suffer,  and  not  attain  the  mark  I aimed  at  for 
his  Majesty.  Thinking  that  I spoke  thus  only  to  brag,  and 
not  because  it  was  the  truth,  he  made  the  Cardinal  of  Lorraine 
repeat  what  he  had  said  ; but  I explained  my  reasons  so 
fully  and  clearly,  that  the  Cardinal  perceived  my  drift ; he 
then  advised  the  King  to  let  me  labour  as  much  or  little  as 
I liked. 


XVI 

Being  very  well  satisfied  with  what  he  had  seen,  the  King 
returned  to  his  palace,  after  bestowing  on  me  too  many  marks 
of  favour  to  be  here  recorded.  On  the  following  day  he 
sent  for  me  at  his  dinner-hour.  The  Cardinal  of  Ferrara 
was  there  at  meat  with  him.  When  I arrived,  the  King  had 
reached  his  second  course  ; he  began  at  once  to  speak  to 
me,  saying,  with  a pleasant  cheer,  fhat  having  now  so  fine 
a basin  and  jug  of  my  workmanship,  he  wanted  an  equally 
handsome  salt-cellar  to  match  them ; and  begged  me  to 
make  a design,  and  to  lose  no  time  about  it.  I replied  : 
“Your  Majesty  shall  see  a model  of  the  sort  even  sooner 
than  you  have  commanded  ; for  while  I was  making  the 
basin,  I thought  there  ought  to  be  a salt-cellar  to  match  it ; 
therefore  I have  already  designed  one,  and  if  it  is  your 
pleasure,  I will  at  once  exhibit  my  conception.”  The  King 
turned  with  a lively  movement  of  surprise  and  pleasure  to 
the  lords  in  his  company — they  were  the  King  of  Navarre, 
the  Cardinal  of  Lorraine,  and  the  Cardinal  of  Ferrara— 


The  Nymph  of  Fontainebleau. 

Louvre. 


Cup  HELONGiNc;  to  the  Duchesse  u’Etampes. 

Ufizi,  Florence. 


BOOK  SECOND 


289 


exclaiming  as  he  did  so  : “ Upon  my  word,  this  is  a man 
to  be  loved  and  cherished  by  every  one  who  knows  him.’^ 
Then  he  told  me  that  he  would  very  gladly  see  my  model. 

I set  off,  and  returned  in  a few  minutes  ; for  I had  only  to 
cross  the  river,  that  is,  the  Seine.  I carried  with  me  the 
wax  model  which  I had  made  in  Rome  at  the  Cardinal  of 
Ferrara’s  request.  When  I appeared  again  before  the  King 
and  uncovered  my  piece,  he  cried  out  in  astonishment : 
“ This  is  a hundred  times  more  divine  a thing  than  I had 
ever  dreamed  of.  What  a miracle  of  a man  ! He  ought 
never  to  stop  working.”  Then  he  turned  to  me  with  a 
beaming  countenance,  and  told  me  that  he  greatly  liked 
the  piece,  and  wished  me  to  execute  it  in  gold.  The 
Cardinal  of  Ferrara  looked  me  in  the  face,  and  let  me  under- 
stand that  he  recognised  the  model  as  the  same  which  I had 
made  for  him  in  Rome.  I replied  that  I had  already  told 
him  I should  carry  it  out  for  one  who  was  worthy  of  it. 
The  Cardinal,  remembering  my  words,  and  nettled  by  the 
revenge  he  thought  that  I was  taking  on  him,  remarked  to 
the  King  : “ Sire,  this  is  an  enormous  undertaking  ; I am 
only  afraid  that  we  shall  never  see  it  finished.  These 
able  artists  who  have  great  conceptions  in  their  brain  are 
ready  enough  to  put  the  same  in  execution  without  duly 
considering  when  they  are  to  be  accomplished.  I therefore, 
if  I gave  commission  for  things  of  such  magnitude,  should 
like  to  know  when  I was  likely  to  get  them.”  The  King 
replied  that  if  a man  was  so  scrupulous  about  the  termina- 
tion of  a work,  he  would  never  begin  anything  at  all  ; these 
words  he  uttered  with  a certain  look,  which  implied  that 
such  enterprises  were  not  for  folk  of  little  spirit.  I then 
began  to  say  my  say : “ Princes  who  put  heart  and  courage 
in  their  servants,  as  your  Majesty  does  by  deed  and  word, 
render  undertakings  of  the  greatest  magnitude  quite  easy. 
Now  that  God  has  sent  me  so  magnificent  a patron,  I hope 
to  perform  for  him  a multitude  of  great  and  splendid  master- 
pieces.” “ I believe  it,”  said  the  King,  and  rose  from  table. 
Then  he  called  me  into  his  chamber,  and  asked  how  much 
gold  was  wanted  for  the  salt-cellar.  “ A thousand  crowns,” 
I answered.  He  called  his  treasurer  at  once,  who  was  the 
Viscount  of  Orbec,  and  ordered  him  that  very  day  to  disburse 
to  me  a thousand  crowns  of  good  weight  and  old  gold. 

When  I left  his  Majesty,  I went  for  the  two  notaries  who 

T 


290 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


had  helped  me  in  procuring  silver  for  the  Jupiter  and  many 
other  things.  Crossing  the  Seine,  I then  took  a small  hand- 
basket,  which  one  of  my  cousins,  a nun,  had  given  me  on  my 
journey  through  Florence.  It  made  for  my  good  fortune  that 
I took  this  basket  and  not  a bag.  So  then,  thinking  I could 
do  the  business  by  daylight,  for  it  was  still  early,  and  not 
caring  to  interrupt  my  workmen,  and  being  indisposed  to 
take  a servant  with  me,  I set  off  alone.  When  I reached 
the  house  of  the  treasurer,  I found  that  he  had  the  money 
laid  out  before  him,  and  was  selecting  the  best  pieces  as  the 
King  had  ordered.  It  seemed  to  me,  however,  that  that 
thief  of  a treasurer  was  doing  all  he  could  to  postpone  the 
payment  of  the  money  ; nor  were  the  pieces  counted  out 
until  three  hours  after  nightfall. 

I meanwhile  was  not  wanting  in  despatch,  for  I sent  word 
to  several  of  my  journeymen  that  they  should  come  and  attend 
me,  since  the  matter  was  one  of  serious  importance.  When 
I found  that  the^^  did  not  arrive,  I asked  the  messenger  if  he 
had  done  my  errand.  The  rascal  of  a groom  whom  I had  sent 
replied  that  he  had  done  so,  but  that  they  had  answered  that 
they  could  not  come  ; he,  however,  would  gladly  carry  the 
money  for  me.  I answered  that  I meant  to  carry  the  money 
myself.  By  this  time  the  contract  was  drawn  up  and  signed. 
On  the  money  being  counted,  I put  it  all  into  my  little  basket, 
and  then  thrust  my  arm  through  the  two  handles.  Since  I 
did  this  with  some  difficulty,  the  gold  was  well  shut  in,  and 
I carried  it  more  conveniently  than  if  the  vehicle  had  been  a 
bag.  I was  well  armed  with  shirt  and  sleeves  of  mail,  and 
having  my  sword  and  dagger  at  my  side,  made  off  along  the 
street  as  quick  as  my  two  legs  would  carry  me. 


XVII 

Just  as  I left  the  house,  I observed  some  servants  whis- 
pering among  themselves,  who  also  went  off  at  a round  pace 
in  another  direction  from  the  one  I took.  Walking  with  all 
haste,  I passed  the  bridge  of  the  Exchange,^  and  went  up 
along  a wall  beside  the  river  which  led  to  my  lodging  in  the 
castle.  I had  just  come  to  the  Augustines — now  this  was 

^ The  Pont  du  Change,  replaced  by  the  Pont  Neuf. 


BOOK  SECOND 


291 


a very  perilous  passage,  and  though  it  was  only  five  hundred 
paces  distant  from  my  dwelling,  yet  the  lodging  in  the  castle 
being  quite  as  far  removed  inside,  no  one  could  have  heard 
my  voice  if  I had  shouted — when  I saw  four  men  with  four 
swords  in  their  hands  advancing  to  attack  med  My  resolu- 
tion was  taken  in  an  instant.  I covered  the  basket  with  my 
cape,  drew  my  sword,  and  seeing  that  they  were  pushing 
hotly  forward,  cried  aloud  : “ With  soldiers  there  is  only  the 
cape  and  sword  to  gain  ; and  these,  before  I give  them  up, 

I hope  you’ll  get  not  much  to  your  advantage.”  Then 
crossing  my  sword  boldly  with  them,  I more  than  once 
spread  out  my  arms,  in  order  that,  if  the  ruffians  were  put 
on  by  the  servants  who  had  seen  me  take  my  money,  they 
might  be  led  to  judge  I was  not  carrying  it.  The  encounter 
was  soon  over  ; for  they  retired  step  by  step,  saying  among 
themselves  in  their  own  language  : “ This  is  a brave  Italian, 
and  certainly  not  the  man  we  are  after ; or  if  he  be  the 
man,  he  cannot  be  carrying  anything.  ” I spoke  Italian,  and 
kept  harrying  them  with  thrust  and  slash  so  hotly  that  I 
narrowly  missed  killing  one  or  the  other.  My  skill  in  using 
the  sword  made  them  think  I was  a soldier  rather  than  a 
fellow  of  some  other  calling.  They  drew  together  and  began 
to  fall  back,  muttering  all  the  while  beneath  their  breath  in 
their  own  tongue.  I meanwhile  continued  always  calling  out, 
but  not  too  loudly,  that  those  who  wanted  my  cape  and 
blade  would  have  to  get  them  with  some  trouble.  Then  I 
quickened  pace,  while  they  still  followed  slowly  at  my  heels  ; 
this  augmented  my  fear,  for  I thought  I might  be  falling  into 
an  ambuscade,  which  would  have  cut  me  off  in  front  as  well  as 
rear.  Accordingly,  when  I was  at  the  distance  of  a hundred 
paces  from  my  home,  I ran  with  all  my  might,  and  shouted 
at  the  top  of  my  voice  : “To  arms,  to  arms  ! out  with  you, 
out  with  you  ! I am  being  murdered.  ” In  a moment  four 
of  my  young  men  came  running,  with  four  pikes  in  their 
hands.  They  wanted  to  pursue  the  ruffians,  who  could  still 
be  seen ; but  I stopped  them,  calling  back  so  as  to  let  the 
villains  hear : “ Those  cowards  yonder,  four  against  one 

man  alone,  had  not  pluck  enough  to  capture  a thousand 
golden  crowns  in  metal,  which  have  almost  broken  this  arm 

^ The  excitement  of  his  recollection  makes  Cellini  more  than  usually  inco- 
herent about  this  episode.  The  translator  has  to  collect  the  whole  sense  of  the 
passage. 


292 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


of  mine.  Let  us  haste  inside  and  put  the  money  away ; 
then  I will  take  my  big  two-handed  sword,  and  go  with 
you  whithersoever  you  like.  We  went  inside  to  secure  the 
gold  ; and  my  lads,  while  expressing  deep  concern  for  the 
peril  I had  run,  gently  chided  me,  and  said:  “You  risk 
yourself  too  much  alone  ; the  time  will  come  when  you  will 
make  us  all  bemoan  your  loss.”  A thousand  words  and  ex- 
clamations were  exchanged  between  us  ; my  adversaries 
took  to  flight ; and  we  all  sat  down  and  supped  together  with 
mirth  and  gladness,  laughing  over  those  great  blows  which 
fortune  strikes,  for  good  as  well  as  evil,  and  which,  what 
time  they  do  not  hit  the  mark,  are  just  the  same  as  though 
they  had  not  happened.^  It  is  very  true  that  one  says  to 
oneself:  “You  will  have  had  a lesson  for  next  time.”  But 
that  is  not  the  case  ; for  fortune  always  comes  upon  us  in 
new  ways,  quite  unforeseen  by  our  imagination. 


XVIII 

On  the  morning  which  followed  these  events,  I made  the 
flrst  step  in  my  work  upon  the  great  salt-cellar,  pressing 
this  and  my  other  pieces  forward  with  incessant  industry. 
My  workpeople  at  this  time,  who  were  pretty  numerous, 
included  both  sculptors  and  goldsmiths.  They  belonged  to 
several  nations,  Italian,  French,  and  German  ; for  I took  the 
best  I could  find,  and  changed  them  often,  retaining  only 
those  who  knew  their  business  well.  These  select  crafts- 
men 1 worked  to  the  bone  with  perpetual  labour.  They 
wanted  to  rival  me  ; but  I had  a better  constitution.  Con- 
sequently, in  their  inability  to  bear  up  against  such  a con- 
tinuous strain,  they  took  to  eating  and  drinking  copiously  ; 
some  of  the  Germans  in  particular,  who  were  more  skilled 
than  their  comrades,  and  wanted  to  march  apace  with  me, 
sank  under  these  excesses,  and  perished. 

While  I was  at  work  upon  the  Jupiter,  I noticed  that  I 
had  plenty  of  silver  to  spare.  So  I took  in  hand,  without 
consulting  the  King,  to  make  a great  two-handled  vase, 
about  one  cubit  and  a half  in  height.  I also  conceived  the 

^ Cellini’s  philosophy  is  summed  up  in  the  proverb  : “ A miss  is  as  good  as 
a mile.  ” 


BOOK  SECOND 


293 


notion  of  casting  ' the  large  model  of  my  Jupiter  in  bronze. 
Having  up  to  this  date  done  nothing  of  the  sort,  I conferred 
with  certain  old  men  experienced  in  that  art  at  Paris,  and 
described  to  them  the  methods  in  use  with  us  in  Italy. 
They  told  me  they  had  never  gone  that  way  about  the 
business  ; but  that  if  I gave  them  leave  to  act  upon  their 
own  principles,  they  would  bring  the  bronze  out  as  clean 
and  perfect  as  the  clay.  I chose  to  strike  an  agreement, 
throwing  on  them  the  responsibility,  and  promising  several 
crowns  above  the  price  they  bargained  for.  Thereupon 
they  put  the  work  in  progress  ; but  I soon  saw  that  they 
were  going  the  wrong  way  about  it,  and  began  on  my  own 
account  a head  of  Julius  Caesar,  bust  and  armour,  much 
larger  than  the  life,  which  I modelled  from  a reduced  copy 
of  a splendid  antique  portrait  I had  brought  with  me  from 
Rome.  I also  undertook  another  head  of  the  same  size, 
studied  from  a very  handsome  girl,  whom  I kept  for  my 
own  pleasures.  I called  this  Fontainebleau,  after  the  place 
selected  by  the  King  for  his  particular  delight. 

We  constructed  an  admirable  little  furnace  for  the  casting 
of  the  bronze,  got  all  things  ready,  and  baked  our  moulds  ; 
those  French  masters  undertaking  the  Jupiter,  while  I 
looked  after  my  two  heads.  Then  I said  : I do  not  think 
you  will  succeed  with  your  Jupiter,  because  you  have  not 
provided  sufficient  vents  beneath  for  the  air  to  circulate  ; 
therefore  you  are  but  losing  your  time  and  trouble.”  They 
replied  that,  if  their  work  proved  a failure,  they  would 
pay  back  the  money  I had  given  on  account,  and  recoup 
me  for  current  expenses  ; but  they  bade  me  give  good 
heed  to  my  own  proceedings,^  for  the  fine  heads  I meant 
to  cast  in  my  Italian  fashion  would  never  succeed. 

At  this  dispute  between  us  there  were  present  the  trea- 
surers and  other  gentlefolk  commissioned  by  the  King  to 
superintend  my  proceedings.  Everything  which  passed  by 
word  or  act  was  duly  reported  to  his  Majesty.  The  two 
old  men  who  had  undertaken  to  cast  my  Jupiter  postponed 
the  experiment,  saying  they  would  like  to  arrange  the 
moulds  of  my  two  heads.  They  argued  that,  according  to 
my  method,  no  success  could  be  expected,  and  it  was  a 

^ Ma  che  io  guardassi  bene,  che,  dr-r.  This  is  perhaps  : but  they  bade  me  note 
well  that. 


294 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


pity  to  waste  such  fine  models.  When  the  King  was  in- 
formed of  this,  he  sent  word  that  the3^  should  give  their 
minds  to  learning,  and  not  try  to  teach  their  master. 

So  then  they  put  their  own  piece  into  the  furnace  with 
much  laughter  ; while  I,  maintaining  a firm  carriage,  show- 
ing neither  mirth  nor  anger  (though  I felt  it),  placed  my 
two  heads,  one  on  each  side  of  the  Jupiter.  The  metal 
came  all  right  to  melting,  and  we  let  it  in  with  joy  and 
gladness  ; it  filled  the  mould  of  the  Jupiter  most  admirably, 
and  at  the  same  time  my  two  heads.  This  furnished  them 
with  matter  for  rejoicing  and  me  with  satisfaction  ; for  I 
was  not  sorr^^  to  have  predicted  wrongly  of  their  work, 
and  they  made  as  though  they  were  delighted  to  have 
been  mistaken  about  mine.  Then,  as  the  custom  in 
France  is,  they  asked  to  drink,  in  high  good  spirits.  I 
was  very  willing,  and  ordered  a handsome  collation  for 
their  entertainment.  When  this  was  over,  they  requested 
me  to  pay  the  money  due  to  them  and  the  surplus  I had 
promised.  I replied  : “You  have  been  laughing  over  what, 
I fear,  may  make  you  weep.  On  reflection,  it  seems  to  me 
that  too  much  metal  flowed  into  your  mould.  There- 
fore I shall  wait  until  to-morrow  before  I disburse  more 
money.”  The  poor  fellows  swallowed  my  words  and  chewed 
the  cud  of  them  ; then  they  went  home  without  further 
argument. 

At  daybreak  they  began,  quite  quietly,  to  break  into  the 
pit  of  the  furnace.  They  could  not  uncover  their  large 
mould  until  they  had  extracted  my  two  heads  ; these  were 
in  excellent  condition,  and  they  placed  them  where  they 
could  be  well  seen.  When  they  came  to  Jupiter,  and  had 
dug  but  scarcely  two  cubits,  they  sent  up  such  a yell,  they 
and  their  four  workmen,  that  it  woke  me  up.  Fanc^dng  it 
was  a shout  of  triumph,  I set  off  running,  for  my  bedroom 
was  at  the  distance  of  more  than  five  hundred  paces.  On 
reaching  the  spot,  I found  them  looking  like  the  guardians 
of  Christ’s  sepulchre  in  a picture,  downcast  and  terrified. 
Casting  a hasty  glance  upon  my  two  heads,  and  seeing  they 
were  all  right,  I tempered  my  annoyance  with  the  pleasure 
that  sight  gave  me.  Then  they  began  to  make  excuses, 
crying  : “Our  bad  luck  !”  I retorted  : “Your  luck  has  been 
most  excellent,  but  what  has  been  indeed  bad  is  your 
deficiency  of  knowledge  ; had  I only  seen  you  put  the 


BOOK  SECOND 


295 

souB  into  your  mould,  I could  have  taught  you  with  one  word 
how  to  cast  the  figure  without  fault.  This  would  have  brought 
me  great  honour  and  you  much  profit.  I shall  be  able  to 
make  good  my  reputation  ; but  you  will  now  lose  both  your 
honour  and  your  profit.  Let  then  this  lesson  teach  you 
another  time  to  work,  and  not  to  poke  fun  at  your  masters.’^ 
They  prayed  me  to  have  pity  on  them,  confessing  I was 
right,  but  pleading  that,  unless  I helped  them,  the  costs 
they  had  to  bear  and  the  loss  they  had  sustained  would  turn 
them  and  their  families  upon  the  streets  a-begging.  I 
answered  that  if  the  King’s  treasurers  obliged  them  to  pay 
according  to  their  contract,  I would  defray  the  cost  out  of 
my  own  purse,  because  I saw  that  they  had  honestly  and 
heartily  performed  their  task  according  to  their  knowledge. 
This  way  of  mine  in  dealing  with  them  raised  the  good-will 
of  the  King’s  treasurers  and  other  officers  toward  me  to  a 
pitch  which  cannot  be  described.  The  whole  affair  was 
written  to  his  Majesty,  who  being  without  a paragon  for 
generosity,  gave  directions  that  all  I ordered  in  this  matter 
should  be  done. 


XIX 

About  this  time  the  illustrious  soldier  Piero  Strozzi 
arrived  in  France,  and  reminded  the  King  that  he  had 
promised  him  letters  of  naturalisation.^  These  were  accord- 
ingly made  out ; and  at  the  same  time  the  King  said : 
“ Let  them  be  also  given  to  Benvenuto,  nion  ami^  and  take 
them  immediately  to  his  house,  and  let  him  have  them 
without  the  payment  of  any  fees.”  Those  of  the  great 
Strozzi  cost  him  several  hundred  ducats  : mine  were  brought 
me  by  one  of  the  King’s  chief  secretaries,  Messer  Antonio 
Massone.^  This  gentleman  presented  them  with  many 
expressions  of  kindness  from  his  Majesty,  saying : “ The 
King  makes  you  a gift  of  these,  in  order  that  you  may  be 

^ I have  here  translated  the  Italian  a^iima  literally  by  the  English  word 
soul.  It  is  a technical  expression,  signifying  the  block,  somewhat  smaller  than 
the  mould,  which  bronze-founders  insert  in  order  to  obtain  a hollow,  and  not 
a solid  cast  from  the  mould  which  gives  form  to  their  liquid  metal. 

^ Piero  was  the  son  of  Filippo  Strozzi,  and  the  general  who  lost  the  battle 
of  Montemurlo,  so  disastrous  to  the  Florentine  exiles,  in  1537. 

^ Antoine  le  Ma^on,  secretary  to  Margaret  of  Navarre.  He  translated  the 
Decauieron  at  her  instance  into  French. 


296 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


encouraged  to  serve  him  ; they  are  letters  o£  naturalisation/’ 
Then  he  told  me  how  the}^  had  been  given  to  Piero  Strozzi 
at  his  particular  request,  and  only  after  a long  time  of  wait- 
ing, as  a special  mark  of  favour  ; the  King  had  sent  mine 
of  his  own  accord,  and  such  an  act  of  grace  had  never  been 
heard  of  in  that  realm  before.  When  I heard  these  words, 
I thanked  his  Majesty  with  heartiness  ; but  I begged  the 
secretary  to  have  the  kindness  to  tell  me  what  letters  of 
naturalisation  meant.  He  was  a man  accomplished  and 
polite,  who  spoke  Italian  excellently.  At  first  my  question 
made  him  laugh  ; then  he  recovered  his  gravity,  and  told 
me  in  my  own  language  what  the  papers  signified,  adding 
that  they  conferred  one  of  the  highest  dignities  a foreigner 
could  obtain  : “ indeed,  it  is  a far  greater  honour  than  to 
be  made  a nobleman  of  Venice.” 

When  he  left  me,  he  returned  and  told  his  Majesty,  who 
laughed  awhile,  and  then  said  : “ Now  I wish  him  to  know 
my  object  in  sending  those  letters  of  naturalisation.  Go  and 
install  him  lord  of  the  castle  of  the  Little  Nello,  where  he 
lives,  and  which  is  a part  of  m3^  demesne.  He  will  know 
what  that  means  better  than  he  understood  about  the  letters 
of  naturalisation.”  A messenger  brought  me  the  patent,  upon 
which  I wanted  to  give  him  a gratuity.  He  refused  to 
accept  it,  saying  that  his  Majesty  had  so  ordered.  These 
letters  of  naturalisation,  together  with  the  patent  for  the 
castle,  I brought  with  me  when  I returned  to  Italy  ; wher- 
ever I go  and  wherever  I may  end  my  days,  I shall  endeavour 
to  preserve  them.^ 


XX 

I shall  now  proceed  with  the  narration  of  my  life.  I had 
on  hand  the  following  works  already  mentioned,  namely, 
the  silver  Jupiter,  the  golden  salt-cellar,  the  great  silver 
vase,  and  the  two  bronze  heads.  I also  began  to  cast  the 
pedestal  for  Jupiter,  which  I wrought  very  richly  in  bronze, 
covered  with  ornaments,  among  which  was  a bas-relief,  re- 
presenting the  rape  of  Ganymede,  and  on  the  other  side 
Leda  and  the  Swan.  On  casting  this  piece  it  came  out 
admirably.  I also  made  another  pedestal  of  the  same  sort 

^ The  letter  of  naturalisation  exists.  See  Btanchi^  p.  583.  For  the  grant 
of  the  castle,  see  ibid.,  p.  585. 


J 


BOOK  SECOND 


297 


for  the  statue  of  Juno,  intending  to  begin  that  too,  if  the 
King  gave  me  silver  for  the  purpose.  By  "working  briskly 
I had  put  together  the  silver  Jupiter  and  the  golden  salt- 
cellar ; the  vase  was  far  advanced  ; the  two  bronze  heads 
were  finished.  I had  also  made  several  little  things  for  the 
Cardinal  of  Ferrara,  and  a small  silver  vase  of  rich  workman- 
ship, which  I meant  to  present  to  Madame  d’Etampes.  Several 
Italian  noblemen,  to  wit.  Signor  Piero  Strozzi,  the  Count  of 
Anguillara,  the  Count  of  Pitigliano,  the  Count  of  Mirandola, 
and  many  others,  gave  me  employment  also.^ 

For  my  great  King,  as  I have  said,  I had  been  working 
strenuously,  and  the  third  day  after  he  returned  to  Paris,  he 
came  to  my  house,  attended  by  a crowd  of  his  chief  nobles. 
He  marvelled  to  find  how  many  pieces  I had  advanced, 
and  with  what  excellent  results.  His  mistress,  Madame 
d’Etampes,  being  with  him,  they  began  to  talk  of  Fontaine- 
bleau. She  told  his  Majesty  he  ought  to  commission  me  to 
execute  something  beautiful  for  the  decoration  of  his  favourite 
residence.  He  answered  on  the  instant : “You  say  well,  and 
here  upon  the  spot  I will  make  up  my  mind  what  I mean 
him  to  do.'’  Then  he  turned  to  me,  and  asked  me  what  I 
thought  would  be  appropriate  for  that  beautiful  fountain.^ 
I suggested  several  ideas,  and  his  Majesty  expressed  his  own 
opinion.  Afterwards  he  said  that  he  was  going  to  spend 
fifteen  or  twenty  days  at  San  Germano  del  Aia,^  a place 
twelve  leagues  distant  from  Paris  ; during  his  absence  he 
wished  me  to  make  a model  for  that  fair  fountain  of  his 
in  the  richest  style  I could  invent,  seeing  he  delighted  in 
that  residence  more  than  in  anything  else  in  his  whole 
realm.  Accordingly  he  commanded  and  besought  me  to  do 
my  utmost  to  produce  something  really  beautiful ; and  I 
promised  that  I would  do  so. 

When  the  King  saw  so  many  finished  things  before  him, 
he  exclaimed  to  Madame  d’Etampes  : “ I never  had  an  artist 
who  pleased  me  more,  nor  one  who  deserved  better  to 
be  well  rewarded  ; we  must  contrive  to  keep  him  with  us. 

1 Anguillara  and  Pitigliano  were  fiefs  of  two  separate  branches  of  the  Orsini 
family.  The  house  of  Pico  lost  their  lordship  of  Mirandola  in  1536,  when 
Galeotto  Pico  took  refuge  with  his  sons  in  France.  His  descendants  renewed 
their  hold  upon  the  fief,  which  was  erected  into  a duchy  in  1619. 

^ Per  quella  bella  fonie.  Here,  and  below,  Cellini  mixes  up  Fontainebleau 
and  the  spring  which  gave  its  name  to  the  place. 

® S.  Germain-en-Laye  is  not  so  far  from  Paris  as  Cellini  thought. 


298  LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 

He  spends  freely,  is  a boon  companion,  and  works  hard  ; 
we  must  therefore  take  good  thought  for  him.  Only  think, 
madam,  all  the  times  that  he  has  come  to  me  or  that  I have 
come  to  him,  he  has  never  once  asked  for  anything  ; one 
can  see  that  his  heart  is  entirely  devoted  to  his  work.  We 
ought  to  make  a point  of  doing  something  for  him  quickly, 
else  we  run  a risk  of  losing  him.”  Madame  d’Etampes 
answered  : “I  will  be  sure  to  remind  you.”  Then  they 
departed,  and  in  addition  to  the  things  I had  begun,  I now 
took  the  model  of  the  fountain  in  hand,  at  which  I worked 
assiduouslyo 


XXI 

At  the  end  of  a month  and  a half  the  King  returned  to 
Paris ; and  I,  who  had  been  working  day  and  night,  went 
to  present  myself  before  him,  taking  my  model,  so  well 
blocked  out  that  my  intention  could  be  clearly  understood. 
Just  about  that  time,  the  devilries  of  war  between  the  Em- 
peror and  King  had  been  stirred  up  again,  so  that  I found 
him  much  harassed  by  anxieties.^  I spoke,  however,  with 
the  Cardinal  of  Ferrara,  saying  I had  brought  some  models 
which  his  Majesty  had  ordered,  and  begging  him,  if  he 
found  an  opportunity,  to  put  in  a word  whereby  I might 
be  able  to  exhibit  them  ; the  King,  I thought,  would  take 
much  pleasure  in  their  sight.  This  the  Cardinal  did  ; and 
no  sooner  had  he  spoken  of  the  models,  than  the  King 
came  to  the  place  where  I had  set  them  up.  The  hrst  of 
these  was  intended  for  the  door  of  the  palace  at  Fontaine- 
bleau. I had  been  obliged  to  make  some  alterations  in  the 
architecture  of  this  door,  which  was  wide  and  low,  in  their 
vicious  French  style.  The  opening  was  very  nearly  square, 
and  above  it  was  a hemicycle,  flattened  like  the  handle  of 
a basket ; here  the  King  wanted  a figure  placed  to  repre- 
sent the  genius  of  Fontainebleau.  I corrected  the  propor- 
tions of  the  doorway,  and  placed  above  it  an  exact  half 
circle  ; at  the  sides  I introduced  projections,  with  socles 
and  cornices  properly  corresponding  : then,  instead  of  the 
columns  demanded  by  this  disposition  of  parts,  I fashioned 
two  satyrs,  one  upon  each  side.  The  first  of  these  was  in 


^ Cellini  refers  to  the  renewal  of  hostilities  in  May  1542. 


BOOK  SECOND 


299 


somewhat  more  than  half-relief,  lifting  one  hand  to  support 
the  cornice,  and  holding  a thick  club  in  the  other  ; his  face 
w^as  hery  and  menacing,  instilling  fear  into  the  beholders. 
The  other  had  the  same  posture  of  support ; but  I varied 
his  features  and  some  other  details ; in  his  hand,  for  in- 
stance, he  held  a lash  with  three  balls  attached  to  chains. 
Though  I call  them  satyrs,  they  showed  nothing  of  the 
satyr  except  little  horns  and  a goatish  head  ; all  the  rest  of 
their  form  was  human.  In  the  lunette  above  I placed  a 
female  figure  lying  in  an  attitude  of  noble  grace  ; she  rested 
her  left  arm  on  a stag’s  neck,  this  animal  being  one  of  the 
King’s  emblems.  On  one  side  I worked  little  fawns  in 
half  relief,  with  some  wild  boars  and  other  game  in  lower 
relief  ; on  the  other  side  were  hounds  and  divers  dogs  of 
the  chase  of  several  species,  such  as  may  be  seen  in  that 
fair  forest  where  the  fountain  springs.  The  whole  of  this 
composition  was  enclosed  in  an  oblong,  each  angle  of 
which  contained  a Victory  in  bas-relief,  holding  torches 
after  the  manner  of  the  ancients.  Above  the  oblong  was 
a salamander,  the  King’s  particular  device,  with  many  other 
ornaments  appropriate  to  the  Ionic  architecture  of  the 
whole  design. 


XXII 

When  the  King  had  seen  this  model,  it  restored  him  to 
cheerfulness,  and  distracted  his  mind  from  the  fatiguing 
debates  he  had  been  holding  during  the  past  two  hours. 
Seeing  him  cheerful  as  I wished,  I uncovered  the  other 
model,  which  he  was  far  from  expecting,  since  he  not  un- 
reasonably judged  that  the  first  had  work  in  it  enough. 
This  one  was  a little  higher  than  two  cubits  ; it  figured  a 
fountain  shaped  in  a perfect  square,  with  handsome  steps 
all  round,  intersecting  each  other  in  a way  which  was  un- 
known in  France,  and  is  indeed  very  uncommon  in  Italy. 
In  the  middle  of  the  fountain  I set  a pedestal,  projecting 
somewhat  above  the  margin  of  the  basin,  and  upon  this 
a nude  male  figure,  of  the  right  proportion  to  the  whole 
design,  and  of  a very  graceful  form.  In  his  right  hand  he 
raised  a broken  lance  on  high  ; his  left  hand  rested  on  a 
scimitar  ; he  was  poised  upon  the  left  foot,  the  right  being 
supported  by  a helmet  of  the  richest  imaginable  workman- 


300 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


ship.  At  each  of  the  four  angles  of  the  fountain  a figure 
was  sitting,  raised  above  the  level  of  the  base,  and  accom- 
panied by  many  beautiful  and  appropriate  emblems. 

The  King  began  by  asking  me  what  I meant  to  represent 
by  the  fine  fancy  I had  embodied  in  this  design,  saying 
that  he  had  understood  the  door  without  explanation,  but 
that  he  could  not  take  the  conception  of  my  fountain, 
although  it  seemed  to  him  most  beautiful  ; at  the  same  time, 
he  knew  well  that  I was  not  like  those  foolish  folk  who  turn 
out  something  with  a kind  of  grace,  but  put  no  intention 
into  their  performances.  I then  addressed  myself  to  the  task 
of  exposition  ; for  having  succeeded  in  pleasing  him  with  my 
work,  I wanted  him  to  be  no  less  pleased  with  my  discourse. 
“ Let  me  inform  your  sacred  Majesty,”  I thus  began,  “ that  the 
whole  of  this  model  is  so  exactly  made  to  scale,  that,  if  it 
should  come  to  being  executed  in  the  large,  none  of  its  grace 
and  lightness  will  be  sacrificed.  The  figure  in  the  middle  is 
meant  to  stand  fifty-four  feet  above  the  level  of  the  ground.” 
At  this  announcement  the  King  made  a sign  of  surprise. 
“ It  is,  moreover,  intended  to  represent  the  god  Mars. 
The  other  figures  embody  those  arts  and  sciences  in  which 
your  Majesty  takes  pleasure,  and  which  you  so  generously 
patronise.  This  one,  upon  the  right  hand,  is  designed  foi 
Learning  ; you  will  observe  that  the  accompanying  emblems 
indicate  Philosophy,  and  her  attendant  branches  of  know- 
ledge. By  the  next  I wished  to  personify  the  whole  Art 
of  Design,  including  Sculpture,  Painting,  and  Architecture. 
The  third  is  Music,  which  cannot  be  omitted  from  the  sphere 
of  intellectual  culture.  That  other,  with  so  gracious  and 
benign  a mien,  stands  for  Generosity,  lacking  which  the 
mental  gifts  bestowed  on  us  by  God  will  not  be  brought  to 
view.  I have  attempted  to  portray  your  Majesty,  your  very 
self,  in  the  great  central  statue  ; for  you  are  truly  a god  Mars, 
the  only  brave  upon  this  globe,  and  all  your  bravery  you  use 
with  justice  and  with  piety  in  the  defence  of  your  own  glory.” 
Scarcely  had  he  allowed  me  to  finish  this  oration,  when  he 
broke  forth  with  a strong  voice  : “Verily  I have  found  a man 
here  after  my  own  heart.”  Then  he  called  the  treasurers 
who  were  appointed  for  my  supplies,  and  told  them  to 
disburse  whatever  I required,  let  the  cost  be  what  it  might. 
Next,  he  laid  his  hand  upon  my  shoulder,  saying  : “ Mon  ami 
(which  is  the  same  as  my  friend),  I know  not  whether  the  plea- 


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301 


sure  be  greater  for  the  prince  who  finds  a man  after  his  own 
heart,  or  for  the  artist  who  finds  a prince  willing  to  furnish 
him  with  means  for  carrying  out  his  great  ideas.”  I answered 
that,  if  I was  really  the  man  his  Majesty  described,  my  good 
fortune  was  by  far  the  greater.  He  answered  laughingly  : 
“ Let  us  agree,  then,  that  our  luck  is  equal ! ” Then  I departed 
in  the  highest  spirits,  and  went  back  to  my  work. 


XXIII 

My  ill-luck  willed  that  I was  not  wide-awake  enough  to  play 
the  like  comedy  with  Madame  d’Etampes.  That  evening, 
when  she  heard  the  whole  course  of  events  from  the  King’s 
own  lips,  it  bred  such  poisonous  fury  in  her  breast  that  she 
exclaimed  with  anger : “ If  Benvenuto  had  shown  me  those’fine 
things  of  his,  he  would  have  given  me  some  reason  to  be  mind- 
ful of  him  at  the  proper  moment.”  The  King  sought  to  excuse 
me,  but  he  made  no  impression  on  her  temper.  Being  in- 
formed of  what  had  passed,  I waited  fifteen  days,  during  which 
they  made  a tour  through  Normandy,  visiting  Rouen  and 
Dieppe  ; then,  when  they  returned  to  S.  Germain- en-Laye,  I 
took  the  handsome  little  vase  which  I had  made  at  the  request 
of  Madame  d’Etampes,  hoping,  if  I gave  it  her,  to  recover  the 
favour  I had  lost.  With  this  in  my  hand,  then,  I announced 
my  presence  to  her  nurse,  and  showed  the  gift  which  1 had 
brought  her  mistress  ; the  woman  received  me  with  demon- 
strations of  good-will,  and  said  that  she  would  speak  a word  to 
Madame,  who  was  still  engaged  upon  her  toilette  ; I should 
be  admitted  on  the  instant,  when  she  had  discharged  her 
embassy.  The  nurse  made  her  report  in  full  to  Madame, 
who  retorted  scornfully  : ‘‘Tell  him  to  wait.”  On  hearing 
this,  I clothed  myself  with  patience,  which  of  all  things 
I find  the  most  difficult.  Nevertheless,  I kept  myself  under 
control  until  the  hour  for  dinner  was  past.  Then,  seeing  that 
time  dragged  on,  and  being  maddened  by  hunger,  I could 
no  longer  hold  out,  but  flung  off,  sending  her  most  devoutly 
to  the  devil. 

I next  betook  myself  to  the  Cardinal  of  Lorraine,  and 
made  him  a present  of  the  vase,  only  petitioning  his 
Eminence  to  maintain  me  in  the  King’s  good  graces.  He 
said  there  was  no  need  for  this  ; and  if  there  were  need  he 


302 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


would  gladly  speak  for  me.  Then  he  called  his  treasurer, 
and  whispered  a few  words  in  his  ear.  The  treasurer 
waited  till  I took  my  leave  of  the  Cardinal ; after  which  he 
said  to  me  : “ Benvenuto,  come  with  me,  and  I will  give  you 
a glass  of  good  wine  to  drink.”  I answered,  not  understand- 
ing what  he  meant : “ For  Heaven’s  sake,  Mr.  Treasurer,  let 
me  have  but  one  glass  of  wine  and  a mouthful  of  bread  ; for 
I am  really  fainting  for  want  of  food.  I have  fasted  since 
early  this  morning  up  to  the  present  moment,  at  the  door 
of  Madame  d’Etampes  ; I went  to  give  her  that  fine  piece 
of  silver-gilt  plate,  and  took  pains  that  she  would  be  in- 
formed of  my  intention  ; but  she,  with  the  mere  petty  will 
to  vex  me,  bade  me  wait  ; now  I am  famished,  and  feel  my 
forces  failing  ; and,  as  God  willed  it,  I have  bestowed  my 
gift  and  labour  upon  one  who  is  far  more  worthy  of  them. 
I only  crave  of  you  something  to  drink  ; for  being  rather 
too  bilious  by  nature,  fast  upsets  me  so  that  I run  the  risk 
now  of  falling  from  exhaustion  to  the  earth.”  While  I was 
pumping  out  these  words  with  difficulty,  they  brought  some 
admirable  wine  and  other  delicacies  for  a hearty  meal.  I 
refreshed  myself,  and  having  recovered  my  vital  spirits, 
found  that  my  exasperation  had  departed  from  me. 

The  good  treasurer  handed  me  a hundred  crowns  in  gold. 
I sturdily  refused  to  accept  them.  He  reported  this  to 
the  Cardinal,  who  swore  at  him,  and  told  him  to  make  me 
take  the  money  by  force,  and  not  to  show  himself  again 
till  he  had  done  so.  The  treasurer  returned,  much  irritated, 
saying  he  had  never  been  so  scolded  before  by  the  Cardinal ; 
but  when  he  pressed  the  crowns  upon  me,  I still  offered 
some  resistance.  Then,  quite  angry,  he  said  he  would 
use  force  to  make  me  take  them.  So  I accepted  the  money. 
When  I wanted  to  thank  the  Cardinal  in  person,  he  sent 
word  by  one  of  his  secretaries  that  he  would  gladly  do  me 
a service  whenever  the  occasion  offered.  I returned  the 
same  evening  to  Paris.  The  King  heard  the  whole  history, 
and  Madame  d’Etampes  was  well  laughed  at  in  their  com- 
pany. This  increased  her  animosity  against  me,  and  led 
to  an  attack  upon  my  life,  of  which  I shall  speak  in  the 
proper  time  and  place. 


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303 


XXIV 

Far  back  in  my  autobiography  I ought  to  have  recorded 
the  friendship  which  I won  with  the  most  cultivated,  the 
most  affectionate,  and  the  most  companionable  man  of 
worth  I ever  knew  in  this  world.  He  was  Messer  Guido 
Guidi,  an  able  physician  and  doctor  of  medicine,  and  a 
nobleman  of  Florence.^  The  infinite  troubles  brought 
upon  me  by  my  evil  fortune  caused  me  to  omit  the  mention 
of  him  at  an  earlier  date  ; and  though  my  remembrance 
may  be  but  a trifle,  I deemed  it  sufficient  to  keep  him 
always  in  my  heart.  Yet,  finding  that  the  drama  of  my 
life  requires  his  presence,  I shall  introduce  him  here  at 
the  moment  of  my  greatest  trials,  in  order  that,  as  he  was 
then  my  comfort  and  support,  I may  now  recall  to  memory 
the  good  he  did  me.^ 

Well,  then,  Messer  Guido  came  to  Paris  ; and  not  long 
after  making  his  acquaintance,  I took  him  to  my  castle, 
and  there  assigned  him  his  own  suite  of  apartm^ents.  We 
enjoyed  our  lives  together  in  that  place  for  several  years. 
The  Bishop  of  Pavia,  that  is  to  say.  Monsignore  de’  Rossi, 
brother  of  the  Count  of  San  Secondo,  also  arrived.^  This 
gentleman  I removed  from  his  hotel,  and  took  him  to  my 
castle,  assigning  him  in  like  manner  his  own  suite  of 
apartments,  where  he  sojourned  many  months  with  serving- 
men  and  horses.  On  another  occasion  I lodged  Messer 
Luigi  Alamanni  and  his  sons  for  some  months.  It  was 
indeed  God’s  grace  to  me  that  I should  thus,  in  my  poor 
station,  be  able  to  render  services  to  men  of  great  position 
and  acquirements. 

But  to  return  to  Messer  Guido.  We  enjoyed  our  mutual 
friendship  during  all  the  years  I stayed  in  Paris,  and  often 
did  we  exult  together  on  being  able  to  advance  in  art  and 

^ Son  of  Giuliano  Guidi  and  Costanza,  a daughter  of  Domenico  Ghirlandajo. 
Fran9ois  1.  sent  for  him  some  time  before  1542,  appointed  him  his  own  phy- 
sician, and  professor  of  medicine  in  the  Royal  College.  He  returned  to 
Florence  in  1548. 

^ Qui  mi  faccia  memoria  di  qttel  bene.  This  is  obscure.  Quel  bene  may 
mean  the  happiness  of  his  friendship. 

^ We  have  already  met  with  him  in  the  Castle  of  S.  Angelo.  His  brother, 
the  Count,  was  general  in  the  French  army.  This  brought  the  Bishop  to 
Paris,  whence  he  returned  to  Italy  in  1 545. 


304 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


knowledge  at  the  cost  of  that  so  great  and  admirable  prince, 
our  patron,  each  in  his  own  branch  of  industry.  I can 
indeed,  and  with  good  conscience,  affirm  that  all  I am, 
whatever  of  good  and  beautiful  I have  produced,  all  this 
must  be  ascribed  to  that  extraordinary  monarch.  So,  then, 
I will  resume  the  thread  of  my  discourse  concerning  him 
and  the  great  things  I wrought  for  him. 


XXV 

I had  a tennis-court  in  my  castle,  from  which  I drew 
considerable  profit.  The  building  also  contained  some  little 
dwellings  inhabited  by  different  sorts  of  men,  among  whom 
was  a printer  of  books  of  much  excellence  in  his  own  trade. 
Nearly  the  whole  of  his  premises  lay  inside  the  castle,  and 
he  was  the  man  who  printed  Messer  Guido’s  first  fine  book 
on  medicine.^  Wanting  to  make  use  of  his  lodging,  I turned 
him  out,  but  not  without  some  trouble.  There  was  also  a 
manufacturer  of  saltpetre  ; and  when  I wished  to  assign  his 
apartments  to  some  of  my  German  workmen,  the  fellow 
refused  to  leave  the  place.  I asked  him  over  and  over  again 
in  gentle  terms  to  give  me  up  my  rooms,  because  I wanted 
to  employ  them  for  my  workpeople  in  the  service  of  the 
King.  The  more  moderately  I spoke,  the  more  arrogantly 
did  the  brute  reply ; till  at  last  I gave  him  three  days’  notice 
to  quit.  He  laughed  me  in  the  face,  and  said  that  he  would 
begin  to  think  of  it  at  the  end  of  three  years.  I had  not 
then  learned  that  he  was  under  the  protection  of  Madame 
d’Etampes  ; but  had  it  not  been  that  the  terms  on  which  I 
stood  toward  that  lady  made  me  a little  more  circumspect 
than  I was  wont  to  be,  I should  have  ousted  him  at  once  ; 
now,  however,  I thought  it  best  to  keep  my  temper  for 
three  days.  When  the  term  was  over,  I said  nothing,  but 
took  Germans,  Italians,  and  Frenchmen,  bearing  arms,  and 
many  hand-labourers  whom  I had  in  my  employ,  and  in 
a short  while  gutted  all  his  house  and  flung  his  property 
outside  my  castle.  I resorted  to  these  somewhat  rigorous 
measures  because  he  had  told  me  that  no  Italian  whom  he 

^ Chirurgia  e Grceco  in  Latmnm  Conversa,  Vido  Vidio  Florentino  interpreter 
Excudebat  Petrus  Galterius  Liitecice  Parisiorum,  prid.  Cal.  Mai.  15^14. 
So  this  printer  was  Pierre  Sauthier. 


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305 


knew  of  had  the  power  or  spirit  to  remove  one  ring  of  iron 
from  its  place  in  his  house.  Well,  after  the  deed  was  done, 
he  came  to  find  me,  and  I said  to  him  : “ I am  the  least  of 
all  Italians  in  Italy,  and  yet  I have  done  nothing  to  you  in 
comparison  with  what  I have  the  heart  to  do,  and  will  do 
if  you  utter  a single  further  word,’’  adding  other  terms  of 
menace  and  abuse.  The  man,  dumbfounded  and  affrighted, 
got  his  furniture  together  as  well  as  he  was  able  ; then  he 
ran  off  to  Madame  d’Etampes,  and  painted  a picture  of  me 
like  the  very  fiend.  She  being  my  great  enemy,  painted  my 
portrait  still  blacker  to  the  King,  with  all  her  greater  elo- 
quence and  all  her  greater  weight  of  influence.  As  I was 
afterwards  informed,  his  Majesty  twice  showed  signs  of 
irritation  and  was  minded  to  use  me  roughly : but  Henry 
the  Dauphin,  his  son,  now  King  of  France,  who  had  received 
some  affronts  from  that  imperious  woman,  together  with  the 
Queen  of  Navarre,  sister  to  King  Francis,  espoused  my  cause 
so  cleverly  that  he  passed  the  matter  over  with  a laugh.  So 
with  God’s  assistance  I escaped  from  a great  danger. 


XXVI 

I had  to  deal  in  like  manner  with  another  fellow,  but  I 
did  not  ruin  his  house ; I only  threw  all  his  furniture  out  of 
doors.  This  time  Madame  d’Etampes  had  the  insolence 
to  tell  the  King  : “I  believe  that  devil  will  sack  Paris  one 
of  these  days.”  The  King  answered  with  some  anger  that 

I was  only  quite  right  to  defend  myself  from  the  low  rabble 
who  put  obstacles  in  the  way  of  my  serving  him. 

The  rage  of  this  vindictive  woman  kept  continually  on  the 
increase.  She  sent  for  a painter  who  was  established  at 
Fontainebleau,  where  the  King  resided  nearly  all  his  time. 
The  painter  was  an  Italian  and  a Bolognese,  known  then  as 

II  Bologna ; his  right  name,  however,  was  Francesco  Prima- 
ticcio.i  Madame  d’Etampes  advised  him  to  beg  that  com- 
mission for  the  fountain  which  his  Majesty  had  given  me, 
adding  that  she  would  support  him  with  all  her  ability  ; and 
upon  this  they  agreed.  Bologna  was  in  an  ecstasy  of  happi- 

^ Primaticcio,  together  with  Rosso,  introduced  Italian  painting  into  France. 
Vasari  says  he  came  to  Paris  in  1541.  He  died  in  1570.  He  was,  like  many 
other  of  the  Lombard  artists,  an  excellent  master  of  stucco. 

U 


3o6 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


ness,  and  thought  himself  sure  of  the  affair,  although  such 
things  were  not  in  his  line  of  art.  He  was,  however,  an  ex- 
cellent master  of  design,  and  had  collected  round  him  a troop 
of  work-people  formed  in  the  school  of  Rosso,  our  Florentine 
painter,  who  was  undoubtedly  an  artist  of  extraordinary 
merit ; his  own  best  qualities  indeed  were  derived  from  the 
admirable  manner  of  Rosso,  who  by  this  time  had  died. 

These  ingenious  arguments,  and  the  weighty  influence  of 
Madame  d’Etampes,  prevailed  with  the  King  ; for  they  kept 
hammering  at  him  night  and  day,  Madame  at  one  time,  and 
Bologna  at  another.  What  worked  most  upon  his  mind  was 
that  both  of  them  combined  to  speak  as  follows  ; “ How  is  it 
possible,  sacred  Majesty,  that  Benvenuto  should  accomplish 
the  twelve  silver  statues  which  you  want  ? He  has  not  finished 
one  of  them  yet.  If  you  employ  him  on  so  great  an  under- 
taking, you  will,  of  necessity,  deprive  yourself  of  those  other 
things  on  which  your  heart  is  set.  A hundred  of  the  ablest 
craftsmen  could  not  complete  so  many  great  works  as  this 
one  able  man  has  taken  in  hand  to  do.  One  can  see  clearly 
that  he  has  a passion  for  labour  ; but  this  ardent  temper  will 
be  the  cause  of  your  Majesty’s  losing  both  him  and  his  master- 
pieces at  the  same  moment.”  By  insinuating  these  and  other 
suggestions  of  the  same  sort  at  a favourable  opportunity,  the 
King  consented  to  their  petition  ; and  yet  Bologna  had  at  this 
time  produced  neither  designs  nor  models  for  the  fountain. 


XXVII 

It  happened  that  just  at  this  period  an  action  was  brought 
against  me  in  Paris  by  the  second  lodger  I had  ousted  from 
my  castle,  who  pretended  that  on  that  occasion  I had  stolen 
a large  quantity  of  his  effects.  This  lawsuit  tormented  me 
beyond  measure,  and  took  up  so  much  of  my  time  that  I 
often  thought  of  decamping  in  despair  from  the  country. 
Now  the  French  are  in  the  habit  of  making  much  capital 
out  of  any  action  they  commence  against  a foreigner,  or 
against  such  persons  as  they  notice  to  be  indolent  in  liti- 
gation. No  sooner  do  they  observe  that  they  are  getting 
some  advantage  in  the  suit,  than  they  find  the  means  to 
sell  it ; some  have  even  been  known  to  give  a lawsuit  in 
dowry  with  their  daughters  to  men  who  make  a business 


BOOK  SECOND 


307 


out  of  such  transactions.  They  have  another  ugly  custom, 
which  is  that  the  Normans,  nearly  all  of  them,  traffic  in 
false  evidence  ; so  that  the  men  who  buy  up  lawsuits,  engage 
at  once  the  services  of  four  or  six  of  these  false  witnesses, 
according  to  their  need  ; their  adversary,  if  he  neglect  to 
produce  as  many  on  the  other  side,  being  perhaps  un- 
acquainted with  the  custom,  is  certain  to  have  the  verdict 
given  against  him. 

All  this  happened  in  my  case,  and  thinking  it  a most 
disgraceful  breach  of  justice,  I made  my  appearance  in  the 
great  hall  of  Paris,  to  defend  my  right.  There  I saw  a 
judge,  lieutenant  for  the  King  in  civil  causes,  enthroned  upon 
a high  tribunal.  He  was  tall,  stout,  and  fat,  and  of  an  ex- 
tremely severe  countenance.  All  round  him  on  each  side 
stood  a crowd  of  solicitors  and  advocates,  ranged  upon  the 
right  hand  and  the  left.  Others  were  coming,  one  by  one, 
to  explain  their  several  causes  to  the  judge.  From  time  to 
time,  too,  I noticed  that  the  attorneys  at  the  side  of  the 
tribunal  talked  all  at  once : and  much  admiration  was 
roused  in  me  by  that  extraordinary  man,  the  very  image  of 
Pluto,  who  listened  with  marked  attention  first  to  one  and 
then  to  the  other,  answering  each  with  learning  and  saga- 
city. I have  always  delighted  in  watching  and  experiencing 
every  kind  of  skill ; so  I would  not  have  lost  this  spectacle 
for  much.  It  happened  that  the  hall  being  very  large,  and 
filled  with  a multitude  of  folk,  they  were  strict  in  excluding 
every  one  who  had  no  business  there,  and  kept  the  door  shut 
with  a guard  to  hold  it.  Sometimes  the  guardian,  in  his 
effort  to  prevent  the  entrance  of  some  improper  person, 
interrupted  the  judge  by  the  great  noise  he  made,  and  the 
judge  in  anger  turned  to  chide  him.  This  happened  fre- 
quently, so  that  my  attention  was  directed  to  the  fact. 
On  one  occasion,  when  two  gentlemen  were  pushing  their 
way  in  as  spectators,  and  the  porter  was  opposing  them 
with  violence,  the  judge  raised  his  voice,  and  spoke  the 
following  words  precisely  as  I heard  them  : “ Keep  peace, 
Satan,  begone,  and  hold  your  tongue. ''  These  words  in  the 
French  tongue  sound  as  follows  : Phe  phe^  Satan,  phe  phe,  ale, 
phe  / I Now  I had  learned  the  French  tongue  well ; and  on 

^ Paix^  pnix,  Satan,  allez,  paix.  The  line  in  Dante  to  which  Cellini  alludes 
is  the  first  of  the  seventh  canto  of  the  Inferno.  His  suggestion  is  both 
curious  and  ingenious  ; but  we  have  no  reason  to  think  that  French  judges 


3o8 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


hearing  this  sentence,  the  meaning  of  that  phrase  used  by 
Dante  came  into  my  memory,  when  he  and  his  master  Virgil 
entered  the  doors  of  Hell.  Dante  and  the  painter  Giotto 
were  together  in  France,  and  particularly  in  the  city  of  Paris, 
where,  owing  to  the  circumstances  I have  just  described,  the 
hall  of  justice  may  be  truly  called  a hell.  Dante  then,  who 
also  understood  French  well,  made  use  of  the  phrase  in 
question,  and  it  has  struck  me  as  singular  that  this  inter- 
pretation has  never  yet  been  put  upon  the  passage  ; indeed, 
it  confirms  my  opinion  that  the  commentators  make  him  say 
things  which  never  came  into  his  head. 


XXVIII 

Well,  then,  to  return  to  my  affairs.  When  certain  de- 
cisions of  the  court  were  sent  me  by  those  lawyers,  and 
I perceived  that  my  cause  had  been  unjustly  lost,  I had 
recourse  for  my  defence  to  a great  dagger  which  I carried ; 
for  I have  always  taken  pleasure  in  keeping  fine  weapons. 
The  first  man  I attacked  was  the  plaintiff  who  had  sued  me  ; 
and  one  evening  I wounded  him  in  the  legs  and  arms  so 
severely,  taking  care,  however,  not  to  kill  him,  that  I de- 
prived him  of  the  use  of  both  his  legs.  Then  I sought  out 
the  other  fellow  who  had  bought  the  suit,  and  used  him  also 
in  such  wise  that  he  dropped  it. 

Returning  thanks  to  God  for  this  and  every  other  dispen- 
sation, and  hoping  to  be  left  awhile  without  worries,  I bade 
the  young  men  of  my  household,  especially  the  Italians,  for 
God’s  sake  to  attend  each  diligently  to  the  work  I set  him, 
and  to  help  me  till  such  time  as  I could  finish  the  things 
I had  in  hand.  I thought  they  might  soon  be  completed, 
and  then  I meant  to  return  to  Italy,  being  no  longer  able 
to  put  up  with  the  rogueries  of  those  Frenchmen ; the  good 
King  too,  if  he  once  grew  angry,  might  bring  me  into  mis- 
chief for  many  of  my  acts  in  self-defence.  I will  describe 
who  these  Italians  were  ; the  first,  and  the  one  I liked  best, 
was  Ascanio,  from  Tagliacozzo  in  the  kingdom  of  Naples  ; 

used  the  same  imprecations,  when  interrupted,  in  the  thirteenth  as  they  did  in 
the  sixteenth  century,  or  that  what  Cellini  heard  on  this  occasion  was  more 
than  an  accidental  similarity  of  sounds,  striking  his  quick  ear  and  awakening 
his  lively  memory. 


BOOK  SECOND 


309 


the  second  was  Pagolo,  a Roman  of  such  humble  origin  that 
he  did  not  know  his  own  father.  These  were  the  two  men 
who  had  been  with  me  in  Rome,  and  whom  I had  taken 
with  me  on  the  journey.  Another  Roman  had  also  come 
on  purpose  to  enter  my  service ; he  too  bore  the  name  of 
Pagolo,  and  was  the  son  of  a poor  nobleman  of  the  family 
of  the  Macaroni ; he  had  small  acquirements  in  our  art, 
but  was  an  excellent  and  courageous  swordsman.  I had 
another  from  Ferrara  called  Bartolommeo  Chioccia.  There 
was  also  another  from  Florence  named  Pagolo  Micceri ; 
his  brother,  nicknamed  II  Gatta,”  was  a clever  clerk,  but 
had  spent  too  much  money  in  managing  the  property  of 
Tommaso  Guadagni,  a very  wealthy  merchant.  This  Gatta 
put  in  order  for  me  the  books  in  which  I wrote  the  accounts 
of  his  most  Christian  Majesty  and  my  other  employers. 
Now  Pagolo  Micceri,  having  learned  how  to  keep  them  from 
his  brother,  went  on  doing  this  work  for  me  in  return  for  a 
liberal  salary.  He  appeared,  so  far  as  I could  judge,  to  be 
a very  honest  lad,  for  I noticed  him  to  be 'devout,  and  when 
I heard  him  sometimes  muttering  psalms,  and  sometimes 
telling  his  beads,  I reckoned  much  upon  his  feigned  virtue. 

Accordingly  I called  the  fellow  apart  and  said  to  him, 
“ Pagolo,  my  dearest  brother,  you  know  what  a good  place 
you  have  with  me,  and  how  you  had  formerly  nothing  to 
depend  on  ; besides,  you  are  a Florentine.  I have  also  the 
greater  confidence  in  you  because  I observe  that  you  are 
pious  and  religious,  which  is  a thing  that  pleases  me.  I 
beg  you  therefore  to  assist  me,  for  I cannot  put  the  same 
trust  in  any  of  your  companions  : so  then  I shall  ask  you 
to  keep  watch  over  two  matters  of  the  highest  importance, 
which  might  prove  a source  of  much  annoyance  to  me.  In 
the  first  place,  I want  you  to  guard  my  property  from  being 
stolen,  and  not  touch  it  yourself.  In  the  next  place,  you 
know  that  poor  young  girl,  Caterina;  I keep  her  principally 
for  my  art’s  sake,  since  I cannot  do  without  a model ; but 
being  a man  also,  I have  used  her  for  my  pleasures,  and  it 
is  possible  that  she  may  bear  me  a child.  Now  I do  not 
want  to  maintain  another  man’s  bastards,  nor  will  I sit  down 
under  such  an  insult.  If  any  one  in  this  house  had  the 
audacity  to  attempt  anything  of  the  sort,  and  I were  to 
become  aware  of  it,  I verily  believe  that  I should  kill  both 
her  and  him.  Accordingly,  dear  brother,  I entreat  you  to 


310 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


be  my  helper ; should  you  notice  anything,  tell  it  me  at 
once  ; for  I am  sure  to  send  her  and  her  mother  and  her 
fellow  to  the  gallows.  Be  you  the  first  upon  your  watch 
against  falling  into  this  snare.”  The  rascal  made  a sign 
of  the  cross  from  his  head  to  his  feet  and  cried  out : “ O 
blessed  Jesus  ! God  preserve  me  from  ever  thinking  of  such 
a thing  ! In  the  first  place,  1 am  not  given  to  those  evil 
ways  ; in  the  next  place,  do  you  imagine  I am  ignorant  of 
your  great  benefits  toward  me  ? ” When  I heard  these 
words,  which  he  uttered  with  all  appearance  of  simplicity 
and  affection  for  me,  I believed  that  matters  stood  precisely 
as  he  asserted. 


XXIX 

Two  days  after  this  conversation,  M.  Mattio  del  Nazaro 
took  the  occasion  of  some  feast-day  to  invite  me  and  my 
workpeople  to  an  entertainment  in  a garden.^  He  was  an 
Italian  in  the  King's  service,  and  practised  the  same  art  as 
we  did  with  remarkable  ability.  I got  myself  in  readiness, 
and  told  Pagolo  that  he  might  go  abroad  too  and  amuse 
himself  with  us  ; the  annoyances  arising  from  that  lawsuit 
being,  as  I judged,  now  settled  down.  The  young  man 
replied  in  these  words  : “ Upon  my  word,  it  would  be  a 
great  mistake  to  leave  the  house  so  unprotected.  Only 
look  how  much  of  gold,  silver,  and  jewels  you  have  here. 
Living  as  we  do  in  a city  of  thieves,  we  ought  to  be  upon 
our  guard  by  day  and  night.  I will  spend  the  time  in 
religious  exercises,  while  I keep  watch  over  the  premises. 
Go  then  with  mind  at  rest  to  take  your  pleasure  and  divert 
your  spirits.  Some  other  day  another  man  will  take  my 
place  as  guardian  here.” 

Thinking  that  I could  go  off  with  a quiet  mind,  I took 
Pagolo,  Ascanio,  and  Chioccia  to  the  garden,  where  we 
spent  a large  portion  of  the  day  agreeably.  Toward  the 
middle  of  the  afternoon,  however,  when  it  began  to  draw 
toward  sundown,  a suspicion  came  into  my  head,  and  I 
recollected  the  words  which  that  traitor  had  spoken  with 
his  feigned  simplicity.  So  I mounted  my  horse,  and  with 

^ Matteo  del  Nassaro,  a native  of  Verona,  was  employed  in  France  as 
engraver,  die-caster,  and  musician. 


BOOK  SECOND 


311 

two  servants  to  attend  me,  returned  to  the  castle,  where 
I all  but  caught  Pagolo  and  that  little  wretch  Caterina 
in  flagrante.  No  sooner  had  I reached  the  place,  than 
that  French  bawd,  her  mother,  screamed  out : “ Pagolo  ! 
Caterina  ! here  is  the  master  ! When  I saw  the  pair  ad- 
vancing, overcome  with  fright,  their  clothes  in  disorder, 
not  knowing  what  they  said,  nor,  like  people  in  a trance, 
where  they  were  going,  it  was  only  too  easy  to  guess  what 
they  had  been  about.  The  sight  drowned  reason  in  rage, 
and  I drew  my  sword,  resolved  to  kill  them  both.  The 
man  took  to  his  heels  ; the  girl  flung  herself  upon  her  knees, 
and  shrieked  to  Heaven  for  mercy.  In  my  first  fury  I 
wanted  to  strike  at  the  male  ; but  before  I had  the  time  to 
catch  him  up,  second  thoughts  arose  which  made  me  think 
it  would  be  best  for  me  to  drive  them  both  away  together. 
I had  so  many  acts  of  violence  upon  my  hands,  that  if  I 
killed  him  I could  hardly  hope  to  save  my  life.  I said  then 
to  Pagolo  : “ Had  I seen  with  my  own  eyes,  scoundrel,  what 
your  behaviour  and  appearance  force  me  to  believe,  I should 
have  run  you  with  this  sword  here  ten  times  through  the 
guts.  Get  out  of  my  sight ; and  if  you  say  a Paternoster, 
let  it  be  San  Giuliano’s.’’ ^ Then  I drove  the  whole  lot 
forth,  mother  and  daughter,  lamming  into  them  with  fist  and 
foot.  They  made  their  minds  up  to  have  the  law  of  me, 
and  consulted  a Norman  advocate,  who  advised  them  to 
declare  that  I had  used  the  girl  after  the  Italian  fashion  ; 
what  this  meant  I need  hardly  explain.^  The  man  argued  : 
“At  the  very  least,  when  this  Italian  hears  what  you  are 
after,  he  will  pay  down  several  hundred  ducats,  knowing  how 
great  the  danger  is,  and  how  heavily  that  offence  is  punished 
in  France.’’  Upon  this  they  were  agreed.  The  accusation 
was  brought  against  me,  and  I received  a summons  from 
the  court. 


XXX 

The  more  I sought  for  rest,  the  more  I was  annoyed 
with  all  sorts  of  embarrassments.  Being  thus  daily  exposed 
to  divers  persecutions,  I pondered  which  of  two  courses 
I ought  to  take  ; whether  to  decamp  and  leave  France  to 

^ See  Boccaccio,  Decam.,  Gior.  ii.  Nov.  ii. 

^ Qtial  modo  sdntendeva  contro  natura,  doe  in  soddomia. 


312 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


the  devil,  or  else  to  fight  this  battle  through  as  I had  done 
the  rest,  and  see  to  what  end  God  had  made  me.  For  a 
long  while  I kept  anxiously  revolving  the  matter.  At  last 
I resolved  to  make  off,  dreading  to  tempt  my  evil  fortune, 
lest  this  should  bring  me  to  the  gallows.  My  dispositions 
were  all  fixed  ; I had  made  arrangements  for  putting  away 
the  property  I could  not  carry,  and  for  charging  the  lighter 
articles,  to  the  best  of  my  ability,  upon  myself  and  servants  ; 
yet  it  was  with  great  and  heavy  reluctance  that  I looked 
forward  to  such  a departure. 

I had  shut  myself  up  alone  in  a little  study.  My  young 
men  were  advising  me  to  fly  ; but  I told  them  that  it  would 
be  well  for  me  to  meditate  this  step  in  solitude,  although 
I very  much  inclined  to  their  opinion.  Indeed,  I reasoned 
that  if  I could  escape  imprisonment  and  let  the  storm  pass 
over,  I should  be  able  to  explain  matters  to  the  King  by 
letter,  setting  forth  the  trap  which  had  been  laid  to  ruin  me 
by  the  malice  of  my  enemies.  And  as  I have  said  above, 
my  mind  was  made  up  to  this  point  ; when,  just  as  I rose 
to  act  on  the  decision,  some  power  took  me  by  the  shoulder 
and  turned  me  round,  and  I heard  a voice  which  cried 
with  vehemence  : “ Benvenuto,  do  as  thou  art  wont,  and  fear 
not ! ” Then,  on  the  instant,  I changed  the  whole  course 
of  my  plans,  and  said  to  my  Italians  : “ Take  your  good 
arms  and  come  with  me  ; obey  me  to  the  letter  ; have  no 
other  thought,  for  I am  now  determined  to  put  in  my 
appearance.  If  I were  to  leave  Paris,  you  would  vanish 
the  next  day  in  smoke  ; so  do  as  I command,  and  follow 
me.’’  They  all  began  together  with  one  heart  and  voice  to 
say  : “ Since  we  are  here,  and  draw  our  livelihood  from  him, 
it  is  our  duty  to  go  with  him  and  bear  him  out  so  long  as 
we  have  life  to  execute  what  he  proposes.  He  has  hit  the 
mark  better  than  we  did  in  this  matter  ; for  on  the  instant 
when  he  leaves  the  place,  his  enemies  will  send  us  to  the 
devil.  Let  us  keep  well  in  mind  what  great  works  we  have 
begun  here,  and  what  vast  importance  they  possess  ; we 
should  not  know  how  to  finish  them  without  him,  and 
his  enemies  would  sa}^  that  he  had  taken  flight  because 
he  shrank  before  such  undertakings.”  Many  other  things 
bearing  weightily  upon  the  subject  were  said  among  them. 
But  it  was  the  young  Roman,  Macaroni,  who  first  put 
heart  into  the  company  ; and  he  also  raised  recruits  from 


BOOK  SECOND 


313 

the  Germans  and  the  Frenchmen,  who  felt  well  disposed 
toward  me. 

We  were  ten  men,  all  counted.  I set  out,  firmly  resolved 
not  to  let  myself  be  taken  and  imprisoned  alive.  When 
we  appeared  before  the  judges  for  criminal  affairs,  I found 
Caterina  and  her  mother  waiting  ; and  on  the  moment  of 
my  arrival,  the  two  women  were  laughing  with  their  advocate. 
I pushed  my  way  in,  and  called  boldly  for  the  judge,  who 
was  seated,  blown  out  big  and  fat,  upon  a tribunal  high 
above  the  rest.  On  catching  sight  of  me,  he  threatened 
with  his  head,  and  spoke  in  a subdued  voice  : “ Although 
your  name  is  Benvenuto,  this  time  you  are  an  ill-comer.’^ 
I understood  his  speech,  and  called  out  the  second  time  : 
“ Despatch  my  business  quickly.  Tell  me  what  I have 
come  to  do  here.^’  Then  the  judge  turned  to  Caterina,  and 
said : “ Caterina,  relate  all  that  happened  between  you  and 
Benvenuto.’’  She  answered  that  I had  used  her  after  the 
Italian  fashion.  The  judge  turned  to  me  and  said:  “You 
hear  what  Caterina  deposes,  Benvenuto.”  I replied  : “ If 
I have  consorted  with  her  after  the  Italian  fashion,  I have 
only  done  the  same  as  you  folk  of  other  nations  do.”  He 
demurred  : “ She  means  that  you  improperly  abused  her.” 
I retorted  that,  so  far  from  being  the  Italian  fashion,  it 
must  be  some  French  habit,  seeing  she  knew  all  about  it, 
while  I was  ignorant ; and  I commanded  her  to  explain 
precisely  how  I had  consorted  with  her.  Then  the  impudent 
baggage  entered  into  plain  and  circumstantial  details  re- 
garding all  the  filth  she  lyingly  accused  me  of.  I made  her 
repeat  her  deposition  three  times  in  succession.  When 
she  had  finished,  I cried  out  with  a loud  voice : “ Lord 
judge,  lieutenant  of  the  Most  Christian  King,  I call  on  you 
for  justice.  Well  I know  that  by  the  laws  of  his  Most 
Christian  Majesty  both  agent  and  patient  in  this  kind  of 
crime  are  punished  with  the  stake.  The  woman  confesses 
her  guilt ; I admit  nothing  whatsoever  of  the  sort  with 
regard  to  her ; her  go-between  of  a mother  is  here,  who 
deserves  to  be  burned  for  either  one  or  the  other  offence. 
Therefore  I appeal  to  you  for  justice.”  These  words  I re- 
peated over  and  over  again  at  the  top  of  my  voice,  con- 
tinually calling  out : “To  the  stake  with  her  and  her 
mother ! ” I also  threatened  the  judge  that,  if  he  did  not 
send  her  to  prison  there  before  me,  I would  go  to  the  King  at 


314 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


once,  and  tell  him  how  his  lieutenant  in  criminal  affairs  of 
justice  had  wronged  me.  When  they  heard  what  a tumult 
I was  making,  my  adversaries  lowered  their  voices,  but  I 
lifted  mine  the  more.  The  little  hussy  and  her  mother  fell 
to  weeping,  while  I shouted  to  the  judge  : “ Fire,  fire  ! to 
the  stake  with  them  ! ” The  coward  on  the  bench,  finding 
that  the  matter  was  not  going  as  he  intended,  began  to  use 
soft  words  and  excuse  the  weakness  of  the  female  sex. 
Thereupon  I felt  that  I had  won  the  victory  in  a nasty  en- 
counter ; and,  muttering  threats  between  my  teeth,  I took 
myself  off,  not  without  great  inward  satisfaction.  Indeed, 
I would  gladly  have  paid  five  hundred  crowns  down  to 
have  avoided  that  appearance  in  court.  However,  after 
escaping  from  the  tempest,  I thanked  God  with  all  my 
heart,  and  returned  in  gladness  with  my  young  men  to  the 
castle. 


XXXI 

When  adverse  fortune,  or,  if  we  prefer  to  call  it,  our 
malignant  planet,  undertakes  to  persecute  a man,  it  never 
lacks  new  ways  of  injuring  him.  So  now,  when  I thought 
I had  emerged  from  this  tempestuous  sea  of  troubles,  and 
hoped  my  evil  star  would  leave  me  quiet  for  a moment,  it 
began  to  set  two  schemes  in  motion  against  me  before  I 
had  recovered  my  breath  from  that  great  struggle.  Within 
three  days  two  things  happened,  each  of  which  brought  my 
life  into  extreme  hazard.  One  of  these  occurred  in  this 
way  : I went  to  Fontainebleau  to  consult  with  the  King  ; 
for  he  had  written  me  a letter  saying  he  wanted  me  to 
stamp  the  coins  of  his  whole  realm,  and  enclosing  some 
little  drawings  to  explain  his  wishes  in  the  matter  ; at  the 
same  time  he  left  me  free  to  execute  them  as  I liked  ; 
upon  which  I made  new  designs  according  to  my  own 
conception,  and  according  to  the  ideal  of  art.  When  I 
reached  Fontainebleau,  one  of  the  treasurers  commissioned 
by  the  King  to  defray  my  expenses  (he  was  called  Monsignor 
della  Fa^)  addressed  me  in  these  words  : “Benvenuto,  the 
painter  Bologna  has  obtained  commission  from  the  King  to 
execute  your  great  Colossus,  and  all  the  orders  previously 

^ His  name  in  full  was  Jacques  de  la  Fa.  He  and  his  son  Pierre  after  him 
held  the  office  of  tresorier  de  Vepargne.  See  Plon,  p.  63. 


BOOK  SECOND 


315 


given  as  on  your  behalf  have  been  transferred  to  him.^ 
We  are  all  indignant ; and  it  seems  to  us  that  that  country- 
man of  yours  has  acted  towards  you  in  a most  unwarrant- 
able manner.  The  work  was  assigned  you  on  the  strength 
of  your  models  and  studies.  He  is  robbing  you  of  it,  only 
through  the  favour  of  Madame  d’Etampes ; and  though 
several  months  have  passed  since  he  received  the  order,  he 
has  not  yet  made  any  sign  of  commencing  it.”  I answered 
in  surprise  : “ How  is  it  possible  that  I should  have  heard 
nothing  at  all  about  this  ? ” He  then  informed  me  that  the 
man  had  kept  it  very  dark,  and  had  obtained  the  King^s 
commission  with  great  difficulty,  since  his  Majesty  at  first 
would  not  concede  it ; only  the  importunity  of  Madame 
d’Etampes  secured  this  favour  for  him. 

When  I felt  how  greatly  and  how  wrongfully  I had  been 
betrayed,  and  saw  a work  which  I had  gained  with  my 
great  toil  thus  stolen  from  me,  I made  my  mind  up  for  a 
serious  stroke  of  business,  and  marched  off  with  my  good 
sword  at  my  side  to  find  Bologna.^  He  was  in  his  room, 
engaged  in  studies ; after  telling  the  servant  to  introduce 
me,  he  greeted  me  with  some  of  his  Lombard  compliments, 
and  asked  what  good  business  had  brought  me  hither. 
I replied : “A  most  excellent  business,  and  one  of  great 
importance.”  He  then  sent  for  wine,  and  said  : “ Before 
we  begin  to  talk,  we  must  drink  together,  for  such  is  the 
French  custom.”  I answered : “ Messer  Francesco,  you 
must  know  that  the  conversation  we  have  to  engage  in 
does  not  call  for  drinking  at  the  commencement ; after  it 
is  over,  perhaps  we  shall  be  glad  to  take  a glass.”  Then 
I opened  the  matter  in  this  way : “ All  men  who  wish  to 
pass  for  persons  of  worth  allow  it  to  be  seen  that  they 
are  so  by  their  actions  ; if  they  do  the  contrary,  they  lose 
the  name  of  honest  men.  I am  aware  that  you  knew  the 
King  had  commissioned  me  with  that  great  Colossus ; 
it  had  been  talked  of  these  eighteen  months  past ; yet 
neither  you  nor  anybody  else  came  forward  to  speak  a 
word  about  it.  By  my  great  labours  I made  myself 
known  to  his  Majesty,  who  approved  of  my  models  and 
gave  the  work  into  my  hands.  During  many  months  I 

^ By  Colosstts,  Cellini  means  the  fountain  with  the  great  statue  of  Mars. 

^ /.  e.f  Primaticcio. 


3i6 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


have  heard  nothing  to  the  contrary  ; only  this  morning  I 
was  informed  that  you  have  got  hold  of  it,  and  have  filched 
it  from  me.  I earned  it  by  the  talents  I displayed,  and 
you  are  robbing  me  of  it  merely  by  your  idle  talking.^’ 


XXXII 

To  this  speech  Bologna  answered  : “ O Benvenuto  ! all 
men  try  to  push  their  affairs  in  every  way  they  can.  If 
this  is  the  King’s  will,  what  have  you  to  say  against  it? 
You  would  only  throw  away  your  time,  because  I have  it 
now,  and  it  is  mine.  Now  tell  me  what  you  choose,  and 
I will  listen  to  you.”  I replied  : “ I should  like  you  to 
know,  Messer  Francesco,  that  I could  say  much  which 
would  prove  irrefragably,  and  make  you  admit,  that  such 
ways  of  acting  as  you  have  described  and  used  are  not 
in  vogue  among  rational  animals.  I will,  however,  come 
quickly  to  the  point  at  issue  ; give  close  attention  to  my 
meaning,  because  the  affair  is  serious.”  He  made  as 
though  he  would  rise  from  the  chair  on  which  he  was 
sitting,  since  he  saw  my  colour  heightened  and  my  features 
greatly  discomposed.  I told  him  that  the  time  had  not 
yet  come  for  moving  ; he  had  better  sit  and  listen  to  me. 
Then  I recommenced  : “ Messer  Francesco,  you  know  that 
I first  received  the  work,  and  that  the  time  has  long  gone 
by  during  which  my  right  could  be  reasonably  disputed 
by  any  one.  Now  I tell  you  that  I shall  be  satisfied  if 
you  will  make  a model,  while  I make  another  in  addition 
to  the  one  I have  already  shown.  Then  we  will  take  them 
without  any  clamour  to  our  great  King ; and  whosoever 
in  this  way  shall  have  gained  the  credit  of  the  best  design 
will  justly  have  deserved  the  commission.  If  it  falls  to 
you,  I will  dismiss  from  my  mind  the  memory  of  the 
great  injury  you  have  done  me,  and  will  bless  your  hands, 
as  being  worthier  than  mine  of  so  glorious  a performance. 
Let  us  abide  by  this  agreement,  and  we  shall  be  friends  ; 
otherwise  we  must  be  enemies ; and  God,  who  always 
helps  the  right,  and  I,  who  know  how  to  assert  it,  will 
show  you  to  what  extent  you  have  done  wrong.”  Messer 
Francesco  answered : “ The  work  is  mine,  and  since  it 
has  been  given  me,  I do  not  choose  to  put  what  is  my 


BOOK  SECOND 


317 


own  to  hazard.”  To  this  I retorted  : “ Messer  Francesco, 
if  you  will  not  take  the  right  course  which  is  just  and 
reasonable,  I will  show  you  another  which  shall  be  like 
your  own,  that  is  to  say,  ugly  and  disagreeable.  I tell 
you  plainly  that  if  I ever  hear  that  you  have  spoken  one 
single  word  about  this  work  of  mine,  I will  kill  you  like  a 
dog.  We  are  neither  in  Rome,  nor  in  Bologna,  nor  in 
Florence  ; here  one  lives  in  quite  a different  fashion ; if 
then  it  comes  to  my  ears  that  you  talk  about  this  to  the 
King  or  anybody  else,  I vow  that  I will  kill  you.  Reflect 
upon  the  way  you  mean  to  take,  whether  that  for  good 
which  I formerly  described,  or  this  latter  bad  one  I have 
just  now  set  before  you.” 

The  man  did  not  know  what  to  say  or  do,  and  I was  inclined 
to  cut  the  matter  short  upon  the  spot  rather  than  to  postpone 
action.  Bologna  found  no  other  words  than  these  to  utter  : 
“ If  I act  like  a man  of  honesty,  I shall  stand  in  no  fear.” 
I replied  : “You  have  spoken  well,  but  if  you  act  otherwise, 
you  will  have  to  fear,  because  the  affair  is  serious.”  Upon  this 
I left  him,  and  betook  myself  to  the  King.  With  his  Majesty 
I disputed  some  time  about  the  fashion  of  his  coinage,  a 
point  upon  which  we  were  not  of  the  same  opinion  ; his 
council,  who  were  present,  kept  persuading  him  that  the 
monies  ought  to  be  struck  in  the  French  style,  as  they  had 
hitherto  always  been  done.  I urged  in  reply  that  his 
Majesty  had  sent  for  me  from  Italy  in  order  that  I might 
execute  good  work  ; if  he  now  wanted  me  to  do  the  contrary, 
I could  not  bring  myself  to  submit.  So  the  matter  was 
postponed  till  another  occasion,  and  I set  off  again  at  once 
for  Paris. 


XXXIII 

I had  but  just  dismounted  from  my  horse,  when  one 
of  those  excellent  people  who  rejoice  in  mischief-making 
came  to  tell  me  that  Pagolo  Micceri  had  taken  a house 
for  the  little  hussy  Caterina  and  her  mother,  and  that  he 
was  always  going  there,  and  whenever  he  mentioned  me, 
used  words  of  scorn  to  this  effect : “ Benvenuto  set  the  fox 
to  watch  the  grapes,^  and  thought  I would  not  eat  them  ! 


Aveva  dato  a gtiardia  la  latiuga  ai  paperi. 


3i8  life  of  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 

Now  he  is  satisfied  with  going  about  and  talking  big,  and 
thinks  I am  afraid  of  him.  But  I have  girt  this  sword  and 
dagger  to  my  side  in  order  to  show  him  that  my  steel  can  cut 
as  well  as  his,  and  that  I too  am  a Florentine,  of  the  Micceri, 
a far  better  family  than  his  Cellini.’’  The  scoundrel  who 
reported  this  poisonous  gossip  spoke  it  with  such  good  effect 
that  I felt  a fever  in  the  instant  swoop  upon  me  ; and  when 
I say  fever,  I mean  fever,  and  no  mere  metaphor.  The  insane 
passion  which  took  possession  of  me  might  have  been  my 
death,  had  I not  resolved  to  give  it  vent  as  the  occasion 
offered.  I ordered  the  Ferrarese  workman,  Chioccia,  to 
come  with  me,  and  made  a servant  follow  with  my  horse. 
When  we  reached  the  house  where  that  worthless  villain 
was,  I found  the  door  ajar,  and  entered.  I noticed  that  he 
carried  sword  and  dagger,  and  was  sitting  on  a big  chest 
with  his  arm  round  Caterina’s  neck  ; at  the  moment  of  my 
arrival,  I could  hear  that  he  and  her  mother  were  talking 
about  me.  Pushing  the  door  open,  I drew  my  sword,  and 
set  the  point  of  it  at  his  throat,  not  giving  him  the  time  to 
think  whether  he  too  carried  steel.  At  the  same  instant 
I cried  out  : “ Vile  coward  ! recommend  your  soul  to  God, 
for  you  are  a dead  man.”  Without  budging  from  his  seat, 
he  called  three  times  : “ Mother,  mother,  help  me  !”  Though 
I had  come  there  fully  determined  to  take  his  life,  half  my 
fury  ebbed  away  when  I heard  this  idiotic  exclamation. 
I ought  to  add  that  I had  told  Chioccia  not  to  let  the  girl 
or  her  mother  leave  the  house,  since  I meant  to  deal  with 
those  trollops  after  I had  disposed  of  their  bully.  So  I went 
on  holding  my  sword  at  his  throat,  and  now  and  then  just 
pricked  him  with  the  point,  pouring  out  a torrent  of  terrific 
threats  at  the  same  time.  But  when  I found  he  did  not  stir 
a finger  in  his  own  defence,  I began  to  wonder  what  I should 
do  next ; my  menacing  attitude  could  not  be  kept  up  for  ever  ; 
so  at  last  it  came  into  my  head  to  make  them  marry,  and 
complete  my  vengeance  at  a later  period.  Accordingly,  I 
formed  my  resolution,  and  began  : “ Take  that  ring,  coward, 
from  your  finger,  and  marry  her,  that  I may  get  satisfaction 
from  you  afterwards  according  to  your  deserts.”  He  replied 
at  once  : “ If  only  you  do  not  kill  me,  I will  do  whatever  you 
command.”  “ Then,”  said  I,  “ put  that  ring  upon  her  hand.” 
When  the  sword’s  point  was  withdrawn  a few  inches  from 
his  throat,  he  wedded  her  with  the  ring.  But  I added  : 


BOOK  SECOND 


319 


‘ This  is  not  enough.  I shall  send  for  two  notaries,  in  order 
that  the  marriage  may  be  ratified  by  contract.”  Bidding 
Chioccia  go  for  the  lawyers,  I turned  to  the  girl  and  her 
mother,  and,  using  the  French  language,  spoke  as  follows  : 
“ Notaries  and  witnesses  are  coming  ; the  first  of  you  who 
blabs  about  this  affair  will  be  killed  upon  the  spot  ; nay, 
I will  murder  you  all  three.  So  beware,  and  keep  a quiet 
tongue  in  your  heads.”  To  him  I said  in  Italian  : “ If  you 
offer  any  resistance  to  what  I shall  propose,  upon  the  slightest 
word  you  utter  I will  stab  you  till  -your  guts  run  out  upon  this 
floor.”  He  answered  : “ Only  promise  not  to  kill  me,  and 
I will  do  whatever  you  command.”  The  notaries  and  wit- 
nesses arrived  ; a contract,  valid  and  in  due  form,  was  drawn 
up  ; then  my  heat  and  fever  left  me.  I paid  the  lawyers  and 
took  my  departure. 

On  the  following  day  Bologna  came  to  Paris  on  purpose, 
and  sent  for  me  through  Mattio  del  Nasaro.  I went  to  see 
him  ; and  he  met  me  with  a glad  face,  entreating  me  to 
regard  him  as  a brother,  and  saying  that  he  would  never 
speak  about  that  work  again,  since  he  recognised  quite  well 
that  I was  right. 


XXXIV 

If  I did  not  confess  that  in  some  of  these  episodes  I acted 
wrongly,  the  world  might  think  I was  not  telling  the  truth 
about  those  in  which  I say  I acted  rightly.  Therefore  I 
admit  that  it  was  a mistake  to  inflict  so  singular  a vengeance 
upon  Pagolo  Micceri.  In  truth,  had  I believed  him  to  be 
so  utterly  feeble,  I should  not  have  conceived  the  notion  of 
branding  him  with  such  infamy  as  I am  going  to  relate. 

Not  satisfied  with  having  made  him  take  a vicious  drab 
to  wife,  I completed  my  revenge  by  inviting  her  to  sit  to  me 
as  a model,  and  dealing  with  her  thus.  I gave  her  thirty 
sous  a day,  paid  in  advance,  and  a good  meal,  and  obliged 
her  to  pose  before  me  naked.  Then  I made  her  serve  my 
pleasure,  out  of  spite  against  her  husband,  jeering  at  them 
both  the  while.  Furthermore,  I kept  her  for  hours  together 
in  position,  greatly  to  her  discomfort.  This  gave  her  as 
much  annoyance  as  it  gave  me  pleasure  ; for  she  was  beauti- 
fully made,  and  brought  me  much  credit  as  a model.  At  last, 
noticing  that  I did  not  treat  her  with  the  same  consideration 


320 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


as  before  her  marriage,  she  began  to  grumble  and  talk  big 
in  her  French  way  about  her  husband,  who  was  now  serving 
the  Prior  of  Capua,  a brother  of  Piero  Strozzid  On  the 
first  occasion  when  she  did  this,  the  mere  mention  of  the 
fellow  roused  me  to  intolerable  fury  ; still  I bore  it,  greatly 
against  the  grain,  as  well  as  I was  able,  reflecting  that  I 
could  hardly  find  so  suitable  a subject  for  my  art  as  she  was. 
So  I reasoned  thus  in  my  own  mind  : “I  am  now  taking 
two  different  kinds  of  revenge.  In  the  first  place,  she  is 
married  ; and  what  I am  doing  to  her  husband  is  something 
far  more  serious  than  what  he  did  to  me,  when  she  was  only 
a girl  of  loose  life.  If  then  I wreak  my  spite  so  fully  upon 
him,  while  upon  her  I inflict  the  discomfort  of  posing  in 
such  strange  attitudes  for  such  a length  of  time — which, 
beside  the  pleasure  I derive,  brings  me  both  profit  and  credit 
through  my  art — what  more  can  I desire  ? ” While  I was 
turning  over  these  calculations,  the  wretch  redoubled  her 
insulting  speeches,  always  prating  big  about  her  husband, 
till  she  goaded  me  beyond  the  bounds  of  reason.  Yielding 
myself  up  to  blind  rage,  I seized  her  by  the  hair,  and  dragged 
her  up  and  down  my  room,  beating  and  kicking  her  till  I 
was  tired.  There  was  no  one  who  could  come  to  her  assist- 
ance. When  I had  well  pounded  her  she  swore  that  she 
would  never  visit  me  again.  Then  for  the  first  time  I per- 
ceived that  I had  acted  very  wrongly  ; for  I was  losing  a 
grand  model,  who  brought  me  honour  through  my  art. 
Moreover,  when  I saw  her  body  all  torn  and  bruised  and 
swollen,  I reflected  that,  even  if  I persuaded  her  to  return, 
I should  have  to  put  her  under  medical  treatment  for  at  least 
a fortnight  before  I could  make  use  of  her. 


XXXV 

Well,  to  return  to  Caterina.  I sent  my  old  serving-woman, 
named  Ruberta,  who  had  a most  kindly  disposition,  to  help 
her  dress.  She  brought  food  and  drink  to  the  miserable  bag- 
gage ; and  after  rubbing  a little  bacon  fat  into  her  worst 
wounds,  they  ate  what  was  left  of  the  meat  together.  When 

^ Leone,  son  of  Filippo  Strozzi,  Knight  of  Jerusalem  and  Prior  of  Capua, 
was,  like  his  brother  Piero,  a distinguished  French  general. 


Salt-cellak, 

I'le/ina. 


Medallion— Gigantomachia. 

Vatican. 


BOOK  SECOND 


321 


she  had  finished  dressing,  she  went  off  blaspheming  and 
cursing  all  Italians  in  the  King’s  service,  and  so  returned 
with  tears  and  murmurs  to  her  home. 

Assuredly,  upon  that  first  occasion,  I felt  I had  done  very 
wrong,  and  Ruberta  rebuked  me  after  this  fashion  : “You  are 
a cruel  monster  to  maltreat  such  a handsome  girl  so  brutally.” 
When  I excused  my  conduct  by  narrating  all  the  tricks 
which  she  and  her  mother  had  played  off  upon  me  under 
my  own  roof,  Ruberta  scoldingly  replied  that  that  was 
nothing — that  was  only  French  manners,  and  she  was  sure 
there  was  not  a husband  in  France  without  his  horns.  When 
I heard  this  argument,  I laughed  aloud,  and  then  told  Ruberta 
to  go  and  see  how  Caterina  was,  since  I should  like  to  em- 
ploy her  again  while  finishing  the  work  I had  on  hand. 
The  old  woman  took  me  sharply  up,  saying  that  I had  no 
savoir  vivre : “ Only  wait  till  daybreak,  and  she  will  come  of 
herself ; whereas,  if  you  send  to  ask  after  her  or  visit  her, 
she  will  give  herself  airs  and  keep  away.” 

On  the  following  morning  Caterina  came  to  our  door, 
and  knocked  so  violently,  that,  being  below,  I ran  to  see 
whether  it  was  a madman  or  some  member  of  the  house- 
hold. When  I opened,  the  creature  laughed  and  fell  upon 
my  neck,  embracing  and  kissing  me,  and  asked  me  if  I was 
still  angry  with  her.  I said,  “No!”  Then  she  added: 
“ Let  me  have  something  good  to  break  my  fast  on.”  So  I 
supplied  her  well  with  food,  and  partook  of  it  at  the  same 
table  in  sign  of  reconciliation.  Afterwards  I began  to  model 
from  her,  during  which  occurred  some  amorous  diversions  ; 
and  at  last,  just  at  the  same  hour  as  on  the  previous  day, 
she  irritated  me  to  such  a pitch  that  I gave  her  the  same 
drubbing.  So  we  went  on  several  days,  repeating  the  old 
round  like  clockwork.  There  was  little  or  no  variation  in 
the  incidents. 

Meanwhile,  I completed  my  work  in  a style  which  did  me 
the  greatest  credit.  Next  I set  about  to  cast  it  in  bronze. 
This  entailed  some  difficulties,  to  relate  which  would  be 
interesting  from  the  point  of  view  of  art ; but  since  the 
whole  history  would  occupy  too  much  space,  I must  omit  it. 
Suffice  it  to  say,  that  the  figure  came  out  splendidly,  and 
was  as  fine  a specimen  of  foundry  as  had  ever  been  seen.^ 

^ This  figure  was  undoubtedly  the  Nymph  of  Fontainebleau. 

X 


222 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


but  I noticed  a stone  just  beneath  the  door  which  did  not 
appear  to  be  very  hrmly  fixed.  This  I attempted  to  dis- 
lodge ; after  setting  my  hands  to  it,  and  feeling  it  move, 
it  easily  gave  way,  and  I drew  it  out.  Through  the  gap 
thus  made  I crept  into  the  town. 


CX 

1 had  crawled  more  than  five  hundred  paces  from  the 
place  where  I fell,  to  the  gate  by  which  I entered.  No 
sooner  had  I got  inside  than  some  mastiff  dogs  set  upon 
me  and  bit  me  badly.  When  they  returned  to  the  attack 
and  worried  me,  I drew  my  poniard  and  wounded  one  of 
them  so  sharply  that  he  howled  aloud,  and  all  the  dogs, 
according  to  their  nature,  ran  after  him.  I meanwhile 
made  the  best  way  I could  on  all  fours  toward  the  church 
of  the  Trespontina. 

On  arriving  at  the  opening  of  the  street  which  leads 
to  Sant’  Agnolo,  I turned  off  in  the  direction  of  San  Piero  ; 
and  now  the  dawn  had  risen  over  me,  and  I felt  myself  in 
danger.  When  therefore  I chanced  to  meet  a water-carrier 
driving  his  donkey  laden  with  full  buckets,  I called  the  fellow, 
and  begged  him  to  carry  me  upon  his  back  to  the  terrace 
by  the  steps  of  San  Piero,  adding  : “I  am  an  unfortunate 
young  man,  who,  while  escaping  from  a window  in  a love- 
adventure,  have  fallen  and  broken  my  leg.  The  place  from 
which  I made  my  exit  is  one  of  great  importance  ; and  if  I 
am  discovered,  I run  risk  of  being  cut  to  pieces  ; so  for 
heaven’s  sake  lift  me  quickly,  and  I will  give  you  a crown 
of  gold.”  Saying  this,  I clapped  my  hand  to  my  purse, 
where  I had  a good  quantity.  He  took  me  up  at  once, 
hitched  me  on  his  back,  and  carried  me  to  the  raised  terrace 
by  the  steps  to  San  Piero.  There  I bade  him  leave  me, 
saying  he  must  run  back  to  his  donkey. 

I resumed  my  march,  crawling  always  on  all  fours,  and 
making  for  the  palace  of  the  Duchess,  wife  of  Duke  Ottavio 
and  daughter  of  the  Emperor.^  She  was  his  natural  child, 
and  had  been  married  to  Duke  Alessandro.  I chose  her 

Margaret  of  Austria,  who  married  Ottaviano  Farnese  in  November  1538, 
after  Alessandro’s  murder. 


BOOK  FIRST 


223 


house  for  refuge,  because  I was  quite  certain  that  many  of 
my  friends,  who  had  come  with  that  great  princess  from 
Florence,  were  tarrying  there  ; also  because  she  had  taken 
me  into  favour  through  something  which  the  castellan  had 
said  in  my  behalf.  Wishing  to  be  of  service  to  me,  he  told 
the  Pope  that  I had  saved  the  city  more  than  a thousand 
crowns  of  damage,  caused  by  heavy  rain  on  the  occasion 
when  the  Duchess  made  her  entrance  into  Rome.  He  re- 
lated how  he  was  in  despair,  and  how  I put  heart  into  him, 
and  went  on  to  describe  how  I had  pointed  several  large 
pieces  of  artillery  in  the  direction  where  the  clouds  were 
thickest,  and  whence  a deluge  of  water  was  already  pouring  ; 
then,  when  I began  to  fire,  the  rain  stopped,  and  at  the 
fourth  discharge  the  sun  shone  out ; and  so  I was  the  sole 
cause  of  the  festival  succeeding,  to  the  joy  of  everybody. 
On  hearing  this  narration  the  Duchess  said  : “ That  Ben- 
venuto is  one  of  the  artists  of  merit,  who  enjoyed  the  good- 
will of  my  late  husband,  Duke  Alessandro,  and  I shall 
always  hold  them  in  mind  if  an  opportunity  comes  of  doing 
such  men  service.’’  She  also  talked  of  me  to  Duke  Ottavio. 
For  these  reasons  I meant  to  go  straight  to  the  house  of  her 
Excellency,  which  was  a very  fine  palace  situated  in  Borgio 
Vecchio. 

I should  have  been  quite  safe  from  recapture  by  the  Pope 
if  I could  have  stayed  there  ; but  my  exploits  up  to  this 
point  had  been  too  marvellous  for  a human  being,  and  God 
was  unwilling  to  encourage  my  vainglory  ; accordingly,  for 
my  own  good.  He  chastised  me  a second  time  worse  even 
than  the  first.  The  cause  of  this  was  that  while  I was 
crawling  on  all  fours  up  those  steps,  a servant  of  Cardinal 
Cornaro  recognised  me.  His  master  was  then  lodging  in 
the  palace  ; so  the  servant  ran  up  to  his  room  and  woke 
him,  crying  : “ Most  reverend  Monsignor,  your  friend  Ben- 
venuto is  down  there  ; he  has  escaped  from  the  castle, 
and  is  crawling  on  all  fours,  streaming  with  blood  ; to  all 
appearances  he  has  broken  a leg,  and  we  don’t  know 
whither  he  is  going.”  The  Cardinal  exclaimed  at  once  : 
“ Run  and  carry  him  upon  your  back  into  my  room  here.” 
When  I arrived,  he  told  me  to  be  under  no  apprehension, 
and  sent  for  the  first  physicians  of  Rome  to  take  my  case 
in  hand.  Among  them  was  Maestro  Jacomo  of  Perugia,  a 
most  excellent  and  able  surgeon.  He  set  the  bone  with 


324 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


from  Paris.  Wanting  then  to  finish  off  my  Fontainebleau, 
which  was  already  cast  in  bronze,  as  well  as  to  execute  the 
two  Victories  which  were  going  to  fill  the  angles  above  the 
lunette  of  the  door,  I engaged  a poor  girl  of  the  age  of 
about  fifteen.  She  was  beautifully  made  and  of  a brunette 
complexion.  Being  somewhat  savage  in  her  ways  and  spare 
of  speech,  quick  in  movement,  with  a look  of  sullenness 
about  her  eyes,  I nicknamed  her  Scorzone  ; ^ her  real  name 
was  Jeanne.  With  her  for  model,  I gave  perfect  finish  to 
the  bronze  Fontainebleau,  and  also  to  the  two  Victories. 

Now  this  girl  was  a clean  maid,  and  I got  her  with  child. 
She  gave  birth  to  a daughter  on  the  7th  of  June,  at  thirteen 
hours  of  the  day,  in  1544,  when  I had  exactly  reached  the 
age  of  forty-four.  I named  the  infant  Costanza  ; and  M. 
Guido  Guidi,  the  King’s  physician,  and  my  most  intimate 
friend,  as  I have  previously  related,  held  her  at  the  font. 
He  was  the  only  godfather  ; for  it  is  customary  in  France 
to  have  but  one  godfather  and  two  godmothers.  One  of 
the  latter  was  Madame  Maddalena,  wife  to  M.  Luigi  Ala- 
manni,  a gentleman  of  Florence  and  an  accomplished  poet. 
The  other  was  the  wife  of  M.  Ricciardo  del  Bene,  our 
Florentine  burgher,  and  a great  merchant  in  Paris  ; she 
was  herself  a French  lady  of  distinguished  family.  This 
was  the  first  child  I ever  had,  so  far  as  I remember.  I 
settled  money  enough  upon  the  girl  for  dowry  to  satisfy  an 
aunt  of  hers,  under  whose  tutelage  I placed  her,  and  from 
that  time  forwards  I had  nothing  more  to  do  with  her. 


XXXVIII 

By  labouring  incessantly  I had  now  got  my  various  works 
well  forward  ; the  Jupiter  was  nearly  finished,  and  the  vase 
also  ; the  door  began  to  reveal  its  beauties.  At  that  time 
the  King  came  to  Paris  ; and  though  I gave  the  right  date 
of  the  year  1544  for  my  daughter’s  birth,  we  were  still 
in  1543  ; bnt  an  opportunity  of  mentioning  my  daughter 
having  arisen,  I availed  myself  of  it,  so  as  not  to  interrupt 
the  narrative  of  more  important  things.  Well,  the  King,  as 

^ That  is,  in  Italian,  “ the  rough  rind,”  a name  given  to  rustics.  Scorzone 
is  also  the  name  for  a little  black  venomous  serpent. 


BOOK  SECOND 


325 


I have  said,  came  to  Paris,  and  paid  me  a visit  soon  after  his 
arrival.  The  magnificent  show  of  works  brought  well-nigh 
to  completion  was  enough  to  satisfy  anybody’s  eyes  ; and 
indeed  it  gave  that  glorious  monarch  no  less  contentment 
than  the  artist  who  had  worked  so  hard  upon  them  desired. 
While  inspecting  these  things,  it  came  into  his  head  that 
the  Cardinal  of  Ferrara  had  fulfilled  none  of  his  promises  to 
me,  either  as  regarded  a pension  or  anything  else.  Whis- 
pering with  his  Admiral,  he  said  that  the  Cardinal  of  Ferrara 
had  behaved  very  badly  in  the  matter  ; and  that  he  intended 
to  make  it  up  to  me  himself,  because  he  saw  I was  a man 
of  few  words,  who  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  might  decamp 
without  complaining  or  asking  leave. 

On  returning  home,  his  Majesty,  after  dinner,  told  the 
Cardinal  to  give  orders  to  his  treasurer  of  the  Exchequer 
that  he  should  pay  me  at  an  early  date  seven  thousand 
crowns  of  gold,  in  three  or  four  instalments,  according  to 
his  own  convenience,  provided  only  that  he  executed  the 
commission  faithfully.  At  the  same  time  he  repeated  words 
to  this  effect : “ I gave  Benvenuto  into  your  charge,  and 
you  have  forgotten  all  about  him.”  The  Cardinal  said  that 
he  would  punctually  perform  his  Majesty’s  commands  ; but 
his  own  bad  nature  made  him  wait  till  the  King’s  fit  of 
generosity  was  over.  Meanwhile  wars  and  rumours  of  wars 
were  on  the  increase  ; it  was  the  moment  when  the  Emperor 
with  a huge  army  was  marching  upon  Paris.^  Seeing  the 
realm  of  France  to  be  in  great  need  of  money,  the  Cardinal 
one  day  began  to  talk  of  me,  and  said  : “ Sacred  Majesty, 
acting  for  the  best,  I have  not  had  that  money  given  to 
Benvenuto.  First,  it  is  sorely  wanted  now  for  public  uses. 
Secondly,  so  great  a donation  would  have  exposed  you  to 
the  risk  of  losing  Benvenuto  altogether  ; for  if  he  found 
himself  a rich  man,  he  might  have  invested  his  money  in 
Italy,  and  the  moment  some  caprice  took  hold  of  him,  he 
would  have  decamped  without  hesitation.  I therefore  con- 
sider that  your  Majesty’s  best  course  will  be  to  present  him 
with  something  in  your  kingdom,  if  you  want  to  keep  him 
in  your  service  for  any  length  of  time.”  The  King,  being 
really  in  want  of  money,  approved  of  these  arguments ; 
nevertheless,  like  the  noble  soul  he  was,  and  truly  worthy 

1 In  1544  Charles  V.  advanced  toward  Champagne  and  threatened  Paris, 
while  the  English  were  besieging  Boulogne. 


326 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


of  his  royal  station,  he  judged  rightly  that  the  Cardinal  had 
acted  thus  in  order  to  curry  favour  rather  than  from  any 
clear  prevision  of  distressed  finances  in  so  vast  a realm. 


XXXIX 

As  I have  just  said,  his  Majesty  affected  to  concur  vrith 
the  Cardinal,  but  his  ovrn  private  mind  was  otherwise  made 
up.  Accordingly,  upon  the  day  after  his  arrival,  without 
solicitation  upon  my  part,  he  came  of  his  own  accord  to  my 
house.  I went  to  meet  him,  and  conducted  him  through 
several  rooms  where  divers  works  of  art  were  on  view. 
Beginning  with  the  less  important,  I pointed  out  a quantity 
of  things  in  bronze  ; and  it  was  long  since  he  had  seen  so 
many  at  once.  Then  I took  him  to  see  the  Jupiter  in  silver, 
now  nearly  completed,  with  all  its  splendid  decorations.  It 
so  happened  that  a grievous  disappointment  which  he  had 
suffered  a few  years  earlier,  made  him  think  this  piece  more 
admirable  than  it  might  perhaps  have  appeared  to  any  other 
man.  The  occasion  to  which  I refer  was  this  : After  the  cap- 
ture of  Tunis,  the  Emperor  passed  through  Paris  with  the 
consent  of  his  brother-in-law.  King  Francis,^  who  wanted  to 
present  him  with  something  worthy  of  so  great  a potentate. 
Having  this  in  view,  he  ordered  a Hercules  to  be  executed 
in  silver,  exactly  of  the  same  size  as  my  Jupiter.  The 
King  declared  this  Hercules  to  be  the  ugliest  work  of  art 
that  he  had  ever  seen,  and  spoke  his  opinion  plainly  to  the 
craftsmen  of  Paris.  They  vaunted  themselves  to  be  the 
ablest  craftsmen  in  the  world  for  works  of  this  kind,  and 
informed  the  King  that  nothing  more  perfect  could  possibly 
have  been  produced  in  silver,  insisting  at  the  same  time 
upon  being  paid  two  thousand  ducats  for  their  filthy  piece 
of  work.  This  made  the  King,  when  he  beheld  mine,  affirm 
that  the  finish  of  its  workmanship  exceeded  his  highest 
expectations.  Accordingly  he  made  an  equitable  judgment, 
and  had  my  statue  valued  also  at  two  thousand  ducats, 
saying  : “ I gave  those  other  men  no  salary  ; Cellini,  who 
gets  about  a thousand  crowns  a year  from  me,  can  surely 
let  me  have  this  masterpiece  for  two  thousand  crowns  of 

^ In  the  year  1539  Charles  V.  obtained  leave  to  traverse  France  with  his 
army  on  the  way  to  Flanders. 


BOOK  SECOND 


327 


gold,  since  he  has  his  salary  into  the  bargain.”  Then  I 
exhibited  other  things  in  gold  and  silver,  and  a variety  of 
models  for  new  undertakings.  At  the  last,  just  when  he 
was  taking  leave,  I pointed  out  upon  the  lawn  of  the  castle 
that  great  giant,  which  roused  him  to  higher  astonishment 
than  any  of  the  other  things  he  had  inspected.  Turning 
to  his  Admiral,  who  was  called  Monsignor  Aniballe,^  he 
said  : “ Since  the  Cardinal  has  made  him  no  provision,  we 
must  do  so,  and  all  the  more  because  the  man  himself  is 
so  slow  at  asking  favours — to  cut  it  short,  I mean  to  have 
him  well  provided  for ; yes,  these  men  who  ask  for  nothing 
feel  that  their  masterpieces  call  aloud  for  recompense  ; 
therefore  see  that  he  gets  the  first  abbey  that  falls  vacant 
worth  two  thousand  crowns  a year.  If  this  cannot  be  had 
in  one  benefice,  let  him  have  two  or  three  to  that  amount, 
for  in  his  case  it  will  come  to  the  same  thing.”  As  I was 
standing  by,  I could  hear  what  the  King  said,  and  thanked 
his  Majesty  at  once  for  the  donation,  as  though  I were 
already  in  possession.  I told  him  that  as  soon  as  his  orders 
were  carried  into  effect,  I would  work  for  his  Majesty  with- 
out other  salary  or  recompense  of  any  kind  until  old  age 
deprived  me  of  the  power  to  labour,  when  I hoped  to  rest  my 
tired  body  in  peace,  maintaining  myself  with  honour  on  that 
income,  and  always  bearing  in  mind  that  I had  served  so 
great  a monarch  as  his  Majesty.  At  the  end  of  this  speech 
the  King  turned  toward  me  with  a lively  gesture  and  a joyous 
countenance,  saying,  “So  let  it  then  be  done.”  After  that 
he  departed,  highly  satisfied  with  what  he  had  seen  there. 


XL 

Madame  d’Etampes,  when  she  heard  how  well  my  affairs 
were  going,  redoubled  her  spite  against  me,  saying  in  her 
own  heart : “ It  is  I who  rule  the  world  to-day,  and  a little 
fellow  like  that  snaps  his  fingers  at  me  ! ” She  put  every 
iron  into  the  fire  which  she  could  think  of,  in  order  to  stir 
up  mischief  against  me.  Now  a certain  man  fell  in  her  way, 
who  enjoyed  great  fame  as  a distiller ; he  supplied  her  with 
perfumed  waters,  which  were  excellent  for  the  complexion, 

^ Claude  d’Annebault ; captured  at  Pavia  with  Fran9ois  ; Marshal  in  1538 ; 
Admiral  of  France  in  1543. 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


328 

and  hitherto  unknown  in  France.  This  fellow  she  introduced 
to  the  King,  who  was  much  delighted  by  the  processes  for 
distilling  which  he  exhibited.  While  engaged  in  these  ex- 
periments, the  man  begged  his  Majesty  to  give  him  a 
tennis-court  I had  in  my  castle,  together  with  some  little 
apartments  which  he  said  I did  not  use.  The  good  King, 
guessing  who  was  at  the  bottom  of  the  business,  made  no 
answer  ; but  Madame  d’Etampes  used  those  wiles  with  which 
women  know  so  well  to  work  on  men,  and  very  easily  suc- 
ceeded in  her  enterprise  ; for  having  taken  the  King  at  a 
moment  of  amorous  weakness,  to  which  he  was  much  sub- 
ject, she  wheedled  him  into  conceding  what  she  wanted. 

The  distiller  came,  accompanied  by  Treasurer  Grolier,  a 
very  great  nobleman  of  France,  who  spoke  Italian  excellently, 
and  when  he  entered  my  castle,  began  to  jest  with  me  in 
that  language.^  Watching  his  opportunity,^  he  said  : “ In  the 
King’s  name  I put  this  man  here  into  possession  of  that 
tennis-court,  together  with  the  lodgings  that  pertain  to  it.” 
To  this  I answered  : “ The  sacred  King  is  lord  of  all  things 
here  : so  then  you  might  have  effected  an  entrance  with  more 
freedom  : coming  thus  with  notaries  and  people  of  the  court 
looks  more  like  a fraud  than  the  mandate  of  a powerful 
monarch.  I assure  3^ou  that,  before  I carry  my  complaints 
before  the  King,  I shall  defend  my  right  in  the  way  his 
Majesty  gave  me  orders  two  days  since  to  do.  I shall  fling 
the  man  whom  you  have  put  upon  me  out  of  windows  if  I do 
not  see  a warrant  under  the  King’s  own  hand  and  seal.” 
After  this  speech  the  treasurer  went  off  threatening  and 
grumbling,  and  I remained  doing  the  same,  without,  however, 
beginning  the  attack  at  once.  Then  J went  to  the  notaries 
who  had  put  the  fellow  in  possession.  I was  well  acquainted 
with  them  ; and  they  gave  me  to  understand  that  this  was 
a formal  proceeding,  done  indeed  at  the  King’s  orders, 
but  which  had  not  any  great  significance  ; if  I had  offered 
some  trifling  opposition  the  fellow  would  not  have  installed 
himself  as  he  had  done.  The  formalities  were  acts  and 
customs  of  the  court,  which  did  not  concern  obedience  to 
the  King  ; consequently,  if  I succeeded  in  ousting  him,  I 
should  have  acted  rightly,  and  should  not  incur  any  risk. 

^ Jean  Grolier,  the  famous  French  Maecenas,  collector  of  books,  antiqui- 
ties, &c. 

^ Vedendo  il  hello. 


BOOK  SECOND 


329 


This  hint  was  enough  for  me,  and  next  morning  I had 
recourse  to  arms  ; and  though  the  job  cost  me  some  trouble, 
I enjoyed  it.  Each  day  that  followed,  I made  an  attack  with 
stones,  pikes  and  arquebuses,  firing,  however,  without  ball  ; 
nevertheless,  I inspired  such  terror  that  no  one  dared  to 
help  my  antagonist.  Accordingly,  when  I noticed  one  day 
that  his  defence  was  feeble,  I entered  the  house  by  force, 
and  expelled  the  fellow,  turning  all  his  goods  and  chattels 
into  the  street.  Then  I betook  me  to  the  King,  and  told 
him  that  I had  done  precisely  as  his  Majesty  had  ordered,  by 
defending  myself  against  every  one  who  sought  to  hinder  me 
in  his  service.  The  King  laughed  at  the  matter,  and  made 
me  out  new  letters -patent  to  secure  me  from  further  moles- 
tation.^ 


XLI 

In  the  meantime  I brought  my  silver  Jupiter  to  comple- 
tion, together  with  its  gilded  pedestal,  which  I placed  upon 
a wooden  plinth  that  only  showed  a very  little  ; upon  the 
plinth  I introduced  four  little  round  balls  of  hard  wood,  more 
than  half  hidden  in  their  sockets,  like  the  nut  of  a crossbow. 
They  were  so  nicely  arranged  that  a child  could  push  the 
statue  forwards  and  backwards,  or  turn  it  round  with  ease. 
Having  arranged  it  thus  to  my  mind,  I went  with  it  to  Fon- 
tainebleau, where  the  King  was  then  residing. 

At  that  time,  Bologna,  of  whom  I have  already  said  so 
much,  had  brought  from  Rome  his  statues,  and  had  cast 
them  very  carefully  in  bronze.  I knew  nothing  about  this, 
partly  because  he  kept  his  doings  very  dark,  and  also  because 
Fontainebleau  is  forty  miles  distant  from  Paris.  On  asking 
the  King  where  he  wanted  me  to  set  up  my  Jupiter,  Madame 
d’Etampes,  who  happened  to  be  present,  told  him  there  was 
no  place  more  appropriate  than  his  own  handsome  gallery. 
This  was,  as  we  should  say  in  Tuscany,  a loggia,  or,  more 
exactly,  a large  lobby  ; it  ought  indeed  to  be  called  a lobby, 
because  what  we  mean  by  loggia  is  open  at  one  side.  The 
hall  was  considerably  longer  than  100  paces,  decorated,  and 
very  rich  with  pictures  from  the  hand  of  that  admirable  Rosso, 


^ This  document  exists,  and  is  dated  July  15,  1544.  See  Bianchi,  p.  585. 


230 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


over,  I will  defray  his  expenses  until  this  caprice  of  mine 
has  left  me.” 

The  Cardinal  came  home,  and  sent  the  candidate  for 
this  bishopric  on  the  spot  to  inform  me  that  the  Pope  was 
resolved  to  have  me  back,  but  that  he  meant  to  keep  me 
in  a ground-floor  room  in  his  private  garden,  where  I 
could  receive  the  visits  of  my  friends,  as  I had  done  in  his 
own  house.  I implored  this  Messer  Andrea  to  ask  the 
Cardinal  not  to  give  me  up  to  the  Pope,  but  to  let  me  act 
on  my  own  account.  I would  have  myself  wrapped  up  in 
a mattress,  and  carried  to  a safe  place  outside  Rome ; for 
if  he  gave  me  up  to  the  Pope,  he  would  certainly  be  send- 
ing me  to  death.  It  is  believed  that  when  the  Cardinal 
heard  my  petition  he  was  not  ill-disposed  to  grant  it ; but 
Messer  Andrea,  wanting  to  secure  the  bishopric,  denounced 
me  to  the  Pope,  who  sent  at  once  and  had  me  lodged  in 
the  ground-floor  chamber  of  his  private  garden.  The 
Cardinal  sent  me  word  not  to  eat  the  food  provided  for 
me  by  the  Pope  ; he  would  supply  me  with  provisions ; 
meanwhile  I was  to  keep  my  spirits  up,  for  he  would 
work  in  my  cause  till  I was  set  free.  Matters  being  thus 
arranged,  I received  daily  visits  and  generous  offers  from 
many  great  lords  and  gentlemen.  Food  came  from  the 
Pope,  which  I refused  to  touch,  only  eating  that  which 
came  from  Cardinal  Cornaro  ; and  thus  I remained  awhile. 

I had  among  my  friends  a young  Greek  of  the  age  of 
twenty-five  years.  He  was  extremely  active  in  all  physical 
exercises,  and  the  best  swordsman  in  Rome  ; rather  poor- 
spirited,  however,  but  loyal  to  the  backbone  ; honest,  and 
ready  to  believe  what  people  told  him.  He  had  heard  it 
said  that  the  Pope  made  known  his  intention  of  compen- 
sating me  for  all  I had  gone  through.  It  is  true  that  the 
Pope  began  by  saying  so,  but  he  ended  by  saying  quite 
the  opposite.  I then  determined  to  confide  in  the  young 
Greek,  and  said  to  him  : “ Dearest  brother,  they  are 

plotting  my  ruin  ; so  now  the  time  has  come  to  help 
me.  Do  they  imagine,  when  they  heap  those  extraordinary 
favours  on  me,  that  I am  not  aware  they  are  done  to 
betray  me  ? ” The  worthy  young  man  ansv/ered  : “ My 

Benvenuto,  they  say  in  Rome  that  the  Pope  has  bestowed 
on  you  an  office  with  an  income  of  five  hundred  crowns  ; 
I beseech  you  therefore  not  to  let  those  suspicions  deprive 


BOOK  FIRST 


231 


you  of  so  great  a windfall.”  All  the  same  I begged  him 
with  clasped  hands  to  aid  me  in  escaping  from  that  place, 
saying  I knew  well  that  a Pope  of  that  sort,  though  he 
could  do  me  much  good  if  he  chose,  was  really  studying 
secretly,  and  to  save  appearances,  how  he  might  best 
destroy  me  ; therefore  we  must  be  quick  and  try  to  save 
me  from  his  -clutches.  If  my  friend  would  get  me  out  of 
that  place  by  the  means  I meant  to  tell  him,  I should 
always  regard  him  as  the  saviour  of  my  life,  and  when 
occasion  came  would  lay  it  down  for  him  with  gladness. 
The  poor  young  man  shed  tears,  and  cried  : “ Oh,  my  dear 
brother,  though  you  are  bringing  destruction  on  your 
head,  I cannot  but  fulfil  your  wishes ; so  explain  your 
plan,  and  I will  do  whatever  you  may  order,  albeit  much 
against  my  will.”  Accordingly  we  came  to  an  agreement, 
and  I disclosed  to  him  the  details  of  my  scheme,  which 
was  certain  to  have  succeeded  without  difficulty.  When 
I hoped  that  he  was  coming  to  execute  it,  he  came  and 
told  me  that  for  my  own  good  he  meant  to  disobey  me, 
being  convinced  of  the  truth  of  what  he  had  heard  from 
men  close  to  the  Pope’s  person,  who  understood  the  real 
state  of  my  affairs.  Having  nothing  else  to  rely  upon,  I 
remained  in  despair  and  misery.  This  passed  on  the  day 
of  Corpus  Domini  1539. 


cxv 

After  my  conversation  with  the  Greek,  the  whole  day 
wore  away,  and  at  night  there  came  abundant  provisions 
from  the  kitchen  of  the  Pope  ; the  Cardinal  Cornaro  also 
sent  good  store  of  viands  from  his  kitchen ; and  some 
friends  of  mine  being  present  when  they  arrived,  I made 
them  stay  to  supper,  and  enjoyed  their  society,  keeping  my 
leg  in  splints  beneath  the  bed-clothes.  An  hour  after 
nightfall  they  left  me ; and  two  of  my  servants,  having 
made  me  comfortable  for  the  night,  went  to  sleep  in  the 
antechamber.  I had  a dog,  black  as  a mulberry,  one  of 
those  hairy  ones,  who  followed  me  admirably  when  I went 
out  shooting,  and  never  left  my  side.  During  the  night  he 
lay  beneath  my  bed,  and  I had  to  call  out  at  least  three 
times  to  my  servant  to  turn  him  out,  because  he  howled 
so  fearfully.  When  the  servants  entered,  the  dog  flew  at 


332 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


furs,  and  also  very  fine  cloth  stuffs.  From  these  I selected 
presents  for  my  workpeople,  giving  each  something  accord- 
ing to  his  desert,  down  to  the  servant-girls  and  stable-boys, 
in  order  to  encourage  them  to  aid  me  heartily. 

Being  then  refreshed  in  strength  and  spirits,  I attacked 
the  great  statue  of  Mars,  which  I had  set  up  solidly  upon  a 
frame  of  well-connected  woodwork.^  Over  this  there  lay  a 
crust  of  plaster,  about  the  eighth  of  a cubit  in  thickness, 
carefully  modelled  for  the  flesh  of  the  Colossus.  Lastly,  I 
prepared  a great  number  of  moulds  in  separate  pieces  to 
compose  the  figure,  intending  to  dovetail  them  together  in 
accordance  with  the  rules  of  art ; and  this  task  involved  no 
difliculty. 

1 will  not  here  omit  to  relate  something  which  may  serve 
to  give  a notion  of  the  size  of  this  great  work,  and  is  at  the 
same  time  highly  comic.  It  must  first  be  mentioned  that 
I had  forbidden  all  the  men  who  lived  at  my  cost  to  bring 
light  women  into  my  house  or  anywhere  within  the  castle 
precincts.  Upon  this  point  of  discipline  I was  extremely 
strict.  Now  my  lad  Ascanio  loved  a very  handsome  girl, 
who  returned  his  passion.  One  day  she  gave  her  mother 
the  slip,  and  came  to  see  Ascanio  at  night.  Finding  that 
she  would  not  take  her  leave,  and  being  driven  to  his  wits’ 
ends  to  conceal  her,  like  a person  of  resources,  he  hit  at 
last  upon  the  plan  of  installing  her  inside  the  statue.  There, 
in  the  head  itself,  he  made  her  up  a place  to  sleep  in  ; this 
lodging  she  occupied  some  time,  and  he  used  to  bring  her 
forth  at  whiles  with  secrecy  by  night.  I meanwhile  having 
brought  this  part  of  the  Colossus  almost  to  completion,  left 
it  alone,  and  indulged  my  vanity  a bit  by  exposing  it  to 
sight ; it  could,  indeed,  be  seen  by  more  than  half  Paris. 
The  neighbours,  therefore,  took  to  climbing  their  house- 
roofs,  and  crowds  came  on  purpose  to  enjoy  the  spectacle. 
Now  there  was  a legend  in  the  city  that  my  castle  had  from 
olden  times  been  haunted  by  a spirit,  though  I never 
noticed  anything  to  confirm  this  belief  ; and  folk  in  Paris 
called  it  popularly  by  the  name  of  Lemmonio  Boreb.^  The 

^ This  was  what  he  called  the  Colossus  above,  p.  314.  He  meant  it  for  the 
fountain  of  Fontainebleau.  See  p.  299. 

2 Properly,  Le  Maine  Boiirru,  the  ghost  of  a monk  dressed  in  drugget  {bure). 
Le  Petit  Nesle  had  a bad  reputation  on  account  of  the  murders  said  to  have  been 
committed  there  in  the  fourteenth  century  by  Queen  Jeanne,  wife  of  Philip  V. 


BOOK  SECOND 


333 


girl,  while  she  sojourned  in  the  statue’s  head,  could  not 
prevent  some  of  her  movements  to  and  fro  from  being  per- 
ceptible through  its  eye-holes  ; this  made  stupid  people 
say  that  the  ghost  had  got  into  the  body  of  the  figure,  and 
was  setting  its  eyes  in  motion,  and  its  mouth,  as  though  it 
were  about  to  talk.  Many  of  them  went  away  in  terror  ; 
others,  more  incredulous,  came  to  observe  the  phenomenon, 
and  when  they  were  unable  to  deny  the  flashing  of  the 
statue’s  eyes,  they  too  declared  their  credence  in  a spirit 
— not  guessing  that  there  was  a spirit  there,  and  sound 
young  flesh  to  boot. 


XLIII 

All  this  while  I was  engaged  in  putting  my  door  together, 
with  its  several  appurtenances.  As  it  is  no  part  of  my 
purpose  to  include  in  this  autobiography  such  things  as 
annalists  record,  I have  omitted  the  coming  of  the  Emperor 
with  his  great  host,  and  the  King’s  mustering  of  his  whole 
army.i  At  the  time  when  these  events  took  place,  his 
Majesty  sought  my  advice  with  regard  to  the  instantaneous 
fortification  of  Paris.  He  came  on  purpose  to  my  house, 
and  took  me  all  round  the  city  ; and  when  he  found  that  I 
was  prepared  to  fortify  the  town  with  expedition  on  a sound 
plan,  he  gave  express  orders  that  all  my  suggestions  should 
be  carried  out.  His  Admiral  was  directed  to  command  the 
citizens  to  obey  me  under  pain  of  his  displeasure. 

Now  the  Admiral  had  been  appointed  through  Madame 
d’Etampes’  influence  rather  than  from  any  proof  of  his 
ability,  for  he  was  a man  of  little  talent.  He  bore  the 
name  of  M.  d’Annebault,  which  in  our  tongue  is  Monsignor 
d’Aniballe  ; but  the  French  pronounce  it  so  that  they  usually 
made  it  sound  like  Monsignore  Asino  Bue.^  This  animal 
then  referred  to  Madame  d’Etampes  for  advice  upon  the 
matter,  and  she  ordered  him  to  summon  Girolamo  Bellarmato 
without  loss  of  time.2  He  was  an  engineer  from  Siena,  at 
that  time  in  Dieppe,  which  is  rather  more  than  a day’s 

^ Toward  the  end  of  August  1544,  the  Imperial  army  advanced  as  far  as 
Epernay,  within  twenty  leagues  of  Paris. 

2 ass-ox,  Ane-et-bo. 

^ Girolamo  Bellarmati,  a learned  mathematician  and  military  architect, 
banished  from  Siena  for  political  reasons.  He  designed  the  harbour  of  Havre. 


334 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


journey  distant  from  the  capital.  He  came  at  once,  and 
set  the  work  of  fortilication  going  on  a very  tedious  method, 
which  made  me  throw  the  job  up.  If  the  Emperor  had 
pushed  forward  at  this  time,  he  might  easily  have  taken 
Paris.  People  indeed  said  that,  when  a treaty  of  peace 
was  afterwards  concluded,  Madame  d’Etampes,  who  took 
more  part  in  it  than  anybody  else,  betrayed  the  King.^  I 
shall  pass  this  matter  over  without  further  words,  since  it 
has  nothing  to  do  with  the  plan  of  my  Memoirs.  Mean- 
while, I worked  diligently  at  the  door,  and  finished  the  vase, 
together  with  two  others  of  middling  size,  which  I made  of 
my  own  silver.  At  the  end  of  those  great  troubles,  the 
King  came  to  take  his  ease  awhile  in  Paris. 

That  accursed  woman  seemed  born  to  be  the  ruin  of  the 
world.  I ought  therefore  to  think  myself  of  some  account, 
seeing  she  held  me  for  her  mortal  enemy.  Happening  to 
speak  one  day  with  the  good  King  about  my  matters,  she 
abused  me  to  such  an  extent  that  he  swore,  in  order  to 
appease  her,  he  would  take  no  more  heed  of  me  thencefor- 
ward than  if  he  had  never  set  eyes  upon  my  face.  These 
words  were  immediately  brought  me  by  a page  of  Cardinal 
Ferrara,  called  II  Villa,  who  said  he  had  heard  the  King 
utter  them.  I was  infuriated  to  such  a pitch  that  I dashed 
my  tools  across  the  room  and  all  the  things  I was  at  work 
on,  made  my  arrangements  to  quit  France,  and  went  upon 
the  spot  to  find  the  King.  When  he  had  dined,  I was 
shown  into  a room  where  I found  his  Majesty  in  the  com- 
pany of  a very  few  persons.  After  I had  paid  him  the 
respects  due  to  kings,  he  bowed  his  head  with  a gracious 
smile.  This  revived  hope  in  me  ; so  I drew  nearer  to  his 
Majesty,  for  they  were  showing  him  some  things  in  my  own 
line  of  art ; and  after  we  had  talked  awhile  about  such 
matters,  he  asked  if  I had  anything  worth  seeing  at  my 
house,  and  next  inquired  when  I should  like  him  to  come. 
I replied  that  I had  some  pieces  ready  to  show  his  Majesty, 
if  he  pleased,  at  once.  He  told  me  to  go  home  and  he 
would  come  immediately. 


^ There  is  indeed  good  reason  to  believe  that  the  King’s  mistress,  in  her 
jealousy  of  the  Dauphin  and  Diane  de  Poitiers,  played  false,  and  enabled  the 
Imperialists  to  advance  beyond  Epernay. 


BOOK  SECOND 


335 


XLIV 

I went  accordingly,  and  waited  for  the  good  King’s  visit, 
who,  it  seems,  had  gone  meanwhile  to  take  leave  of  Madame 
d’Etampes.  She  asked  whither  he  was  bound,  adding  that 
she  would  accompany  him  ; but  when  he  informed  her, 
she  told  him  that  she  would  not  go,  and  begged  him  as  a 
special  favour  not  to  go  himself  that  day.  She  had  to 
return  to  the  charge  more  than  twice  before  she  shook  the 
King’s  determination  ; however,  he  did  not  come  to  visit  me 
that  day.  Next  morning  I went  to  his  Majesty  at  the  same 
hour ; and  no  sooner  had  he  caught  sight  of  me,  than  he 
swore  it  was  his  intention  to  come  to  me  upon  the  spot. 
Going  then,  according  to  his  wont,  to  take  leave  of  his  dear 
Madame  d’Etampes,  this  lady  saw  that  all  her  influence  had 
not  been  able  to  divert  him  from  his  purpose  ; so  she  began 
with  that  biting  tongue  of  hers  to  say  the  worst  of  me  that 
could  be  insinuated  against  a deadly  enemy  of  this  most 
worthy  crown  of  France.  The  good  King  appeased  her  by 
replying  that  the  sole  object  of  his  visit  was  to  administer 
such  a scolding  as  should  make  me  tremble  in  my  shoes. 
This  he  swore  to  do  upon  his  honour.  Then  he  came  to  my 
house,  and  I conducted  him  through  certain  rooms  upon 
the  basement,  where  I had  put  the  whole  of  my  great  door 
together.  Upon  beholding  it,  the  King  was  struck  with 
stupefaction,  and  quite  lost  his  cue  for  reprimanding  me, 
as  he  had  promised  Madame  d’Etampes.  Still  he  did  not 
choose  to  go  away  without  finding  some  opportunity  for 
scolding  ; so  he  began  in  this  wise  : “ There  is  one  most 
important  matter,  Benvenuto,  which  men  of  your  sort,  though 
full  of  talent,  ought  always  to  bear  in  mind  ; it  is  that  you 
cannot  bring  your  great  gifts  to  light  by  your  own  strength 
alone  ; you  show  your  greatness  only  through  the  oppor- 
tunities we  give  you.  Now  you  ought  to  be  a little  more 
submissive,  not  so  arrogant  and  headstrong.  I remember 
that  I gave  you  express  orders  to  make  me  twelve  silver 
statues  ; and  this  was  all  I wanted.  You  have  chosen  to 
execute  a salt-cellar,  and  vases  and  busts  and  doors,  and 
a heap  of  other  things,  which  quite  confound  me,  when 
I consider  how  you  have  neglected  my  wishes  and  worked 
for  the  fulfilment  of  your  own.  If  you  mean  to  go  on 


336 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


in  this  way,  I shall  presently  let  you  understand  what  is  my 
own  method  of  procedure  when  I choose  to  have  things 
done  in  my  own  way.  I tell  you,  therefore,  plainly  : do 
your  utmost  to  obey  my  commands  ; for  if  you  stick  to  your 
own  fancies,  you  will  run  your  head  against  a wall.”  While 
he  was  uttering  these  words,  his  lords  in  waiting  hung  upon 
the  King’s  lips,  seeing  him  shake  his  head,  frown,  and 
gesticulate,  now  with  one  hand  and  now  with  the  other. 
The  whole  company  of  attendants,  therefore,  quaked  with 
fear  for  me  ; but  I stood  firm,  and  let  no  breath  of  fear 
pass  over  me. 


XLV 

When  he  had  wound  up  this  sermon,  agreed  upon  before- 
hand with  his  darling  Madame  d’Etampes,  I bent  one  leg 
upon  the  ground,  and  kissed  his  coat  above  the  knee.  Then 
I began  my  speech  as  follows  : “ Sacred  Majesty,  I admit 
that  all  that  you  have  said  is  true.  Only,  in  reply,  I protest 
that  my  heart  has  ever  been,  by  day  and  night,  with  all 
my  vital  forces,  bent  on  serving  you  and  executing  your  com- 
mands. If  it  appears  to  your  Majesty  that  my  actions  contra- 
dict these  words,  let  your  Majesty  be  sure  that  Benvenuto  was 
not  at  fault,  but  rather  possibly  my  evil  fate  or  adverse 
fortune,  which  has  made  me  unworthy  to  serve  the  most 
admirable  prince  who  ever  blessed  this  earth.  Therefore 
I crave  your  pardon.  I was  under  the  impression,  how- 
ever, that  your  Majesty  had  given  me  silver  for  one  statue 
only  ; having  no  more  at  my  disposal,  I could  not  execute 
others  ; so,  with  the  surplus  which  remained  for  use,  I made 
this  vase,  to  show  your  Majesty  the  grand  style  of  the 
ancients.  Perhaps  you  never  had  seen  anything  of  the  sort 
before.  As  for  the  salt-cellar,  I thought,  if  my  memory  does 
not  betray  me,  that  your  Majesty  on  one  occasion  ordered 
me  to  make  it  of  your  own  accord.  The  conversation  falling 
upon  something  of  the  kind  which  had  been  brought  for  your 
inspection,  I showed  you  a model  made  by  me  in  Italy  ; you, 
following  the  impulse  of  your  own  mind  only,  had  a thousand 
golden  ducats  told  out  for  me  to  execute  the  piece  withal, 
thanking  me  in  addition  for  my  hint ; and  what  is  more, 
I seem  to  remember  that  you  commended  me  highly  when 
it  was  completed.  As  regards  the  door,  it  was  my  impression 


BOOK  SECOND 


337 


that,  after  we  had  chanced  to  speak  about  it  at  some  time 
or  other,  your  Majesty  gave  orders  to  your  chief  secretary, 
M.  Villerois,  from  whom  the  order  passed  to  M.  de  Marmagne 
and  M.  de  la  Fa,  to  this  effect,  that  all  these  gentlemen  should 
keep  me  going  at  the  work,  and  see  that  I obtained  the  neces- 
sary funds.  Without  such  commission  I should  certainly  not 
have  been  able  to  advance  so  great  an  undertaking  on  my 
own  resources.  As  for  the  bronze  heads,  the  pedestal  of 
Jupiter  and  other  such-like  things,  I will  begin  by  saying  that 
I cast  those  heads  upon  my  own  account,  in  order  to  become 
acquainted  with  French  clays,  of  which,  as  a foreigner,  I had 
no  previous  knowledge  whatsoever.  Unless  I had  made  the 
experiment,  I could  not  have  set  about  casting  those  large 
works.  Now,  touching  the  pedestals,  I have  to  say  that  I 
made  them  because  I judged  them  necessary  to  the  statues. 
Consequently,  in  all  that  I have  done,  I meant  to  act  for  the 
best,  and  at  no  point  to  swerve  from  your  Majesty’s  expressed 
wishes.  It  is  indeed  true  that  I set  that  huge  Colossus  up 
to  satisfy  my  own  desire,  paying  for  it  from  my  own  purse, 
even  to  the  point  which  it  has  reached,  because  I thought 
that,  you  being  the  great  king  you  are,  and  I the  trifling 
artist  that  I am,  it  was  my  duty  to  erect  for  your  glory  and 
my  own  a statue,  the  like  of  which  the  ancients  never  saw. 
Now,  at  the  last,  having  been  taught  that  God  is  not  inclined 
to  make  me  worthy  of  so  glorious  a service,  I beseech  your 
Majesty,  instead  of  the  noble  recompense  you  had  in  mind 
to  give  me  for  my  labours,  bestow  upon  me  only  one  small 
trifle  of  your  favour,  and  therewith  the  leave  to  quit  your 
kingdom.  At  this  instant,  if  you  condescend  to  my  request, 
I shall  return  to  Italy,  always  thanking  God  and  your  Majesty 
for  the  happy  hours  which  I have  passed  in  serving  you.” 


XLVI 

The  King  stretched  forth  his  own  hands  and  raised  me 
very  graciously.  Then  he  told  me  that  I ought  to  continue 
in  his  service,  and  that  all  that  I had  done  was  right  and 
pleasing  to  him.  Turning  to  the  lords  in  his  company,  he 
spoke  these  words  precisely : “ I verily  believe  that  a finer 
door  could  not  be  made  for  Paradise  itself.”  When  he  had 
ceased  speaking,  although  his  speech  had  been  entirely  in 

Y 


338 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


my  favour,  I again  thanked  him  respectfully,  repeating, 
however,  my  request  for  leave  to  travel ; for  the  heat  of 
my  indignation  had  not  yet  cooled  down.  His  Majesty, 
feeling  that  I set  too  little  store  upon  his  unwonted  and 
extraordinary  condescension,  commanded  me  with  a great 
and  terrible  voice  to  hold  my  tongue,  unless  I wanted  to 
incur  his  wrath  ; afterwards  he  added  that  he  would  drown 
me  in  gold,  and  that  he  gave  me  the  leave  I asked  ; and 
over  and  above  the  works  he  had  commissioned,^  he  was 
very  well  satisfied  with  what  I had  done  on  my  own  account 
in  the  interval ; I should  never  henceforth  have  any  quarrels 
with  him,  because  he  knew  my  character ; and  for  my  part, 
I too  ought  to  study  the  temper  of  his  Majesty,  as  my  duty 
required.  I answered  that  I thanked  God  and  his  Majesty 
for  everything  ; then  I asked  him  to  come  and  see  how  far 
I had  advanced  the  great  Colossus.  So  he  came  to  my 
house,  and  I had  the  statue  uncovered  ; he  admired  it  ex- 
tremely, and  gave  orders  to  his  secretary  to  pay  me  all  the 
money  I had  spent  upon  it,  be  the  sum  what  it  might,  pro- 
vided I wrote  the  bill  out  in  my  own  hand.  Then  he 
departed,  saying  ; “ Adieu,  mon  ami,”  which  is  a phrase  not 
often  used  by  kings. 


XLVII 

After  returning  to  his  palace,  he  called  to  mind  the  words 
I had  spoken  in  our  previous  interview,  some  of  which  were 
so  excessively  humble,  and  others  so  proud  and  haughty,  that 
they  caused  him  no  small  irritation.  He  repeated  a few  of 
them  in  the  presence  of  Madame  d^Etampes  and  Monsignor 
di  San  Polo,  a great  baron  of  France.^  This  man  had  always 
professed  much  friendship  for  me  in  the  past,  and  certainly, 
on  that  occasion,  he  showed  his  good-will,  after  the  French 
fashion,  with  great  cleverness.  It  happened  thus  : the  King 
in  the  course  of  a long  conversation  complained  that  the 
Cardinal  of  Ferrara,  to  whose  care  he  had  entrusted  me, 

^ The  MSS.  in  this  phrase  vary,  and  the  meaning  is  not  quite  clear. 
According  to  one  reading,  the  sense  would  be : “ Though  the  works  he  had 
commissioned  were  not  yet  begun.”  But  this  involves  an  awkward  use  of  the 
word  dipoi. 

Fran9ois  de  Bourbon,  Comte  de  Saint  Paul,  one  of  the  chief  companions 
in  arms  and  captains  of  Fran9ois  I. 


BOOK  SECOND 


339 


never  gave  a thought  to  my  affairs  ; so  far  as  he  was  con- 
cerned, I might  have  decamped  from  the  realm ; therefore 
he  must  certainly  arrange  for  committing  me  to  some  one 
who  would  appreciate  me  better,  because  he  did  not  want 
to  run  a farther  risk  of  losing  me.  At  these  words  Monsieur  de 
Saint  Paul  expressed  his  willingness  to  undertake  the  charge, 
saying  that  if  the  King  appointed  him  my  guardian,  he  would 
act  so  that  I should  never  have  the  chance  to  leave  the 
kingdom.  The  King  replied  that  he  was  very  well  satisfied, 
if  only  Saint  Paul  would  explain  the  way  in  which  he  meant 
to  manage  me.  Madame  sat  by  with  an  air  of  sullen  irritation, 
and  Saint  Paul  stood  on  his  dignity,  declining  to  answer  the 
King’s  question.  When  the  King  repeated  it,  he  said,  to 
curry  favour  with  Madame  d’Etampes  : “I  would  hang  that 
Benvenuto  of  yours  by  the  neck,  and  thus  you  would  keep 
him  for  ever  in  your  kingdom.”  She  broke  into  a fit  of 
laughter,  protesting  that  I richly  deserved  it.  The  King,  to 
keep  them  company,  began  to  laugh,  and  said  he  had  no 
objection  to  Saint  Paul  hanging  me,  if  he  could  first  produce 
my  equal  in  the  arts  ; and  although  I had  not  earned  such 
a fate,  he  gave  him  full  liberty  and  license  In  this  way 
that  day  ended,  and  I came  off  safe  and  sound,  for  which 
may  God  be  praised  and  thanked. 


XLVIII 

The  King  had  now  made  peace  with  the  Emperor,  but 
not  with  the  English,  and  these  devils  were  keeping  us  in 
constant  agitation.^  His  Majesty  had  therefore  other  things 
than  pleasure  to  attend  to.  He  ordered  Piero  Strozzi  to  go 
with  ships  of  war  into  the  English  waters  ; but  this  was  a 
very  difficult  undertaking,  even  for  that  great  commander, 
without  a paragon  at  his  times  in  the  art  of  war,  and  also 
without  a paragon  in  his  misfortunes.  Several  months  passed 
without  my  receiving  money  or  commissions  ; accordingly,  I 
dismissed  my  workpeople  with  the  exception  of  the  two 
Italians,  whom  I set  to  making  two  big  vases  out  of  my 
own  silver  ; for  these  men  could  not  work  in  bronze.  After 

^ The  peace  of  Crepy  was  concluded  September  i8,  1544.  The  English 
had  taken  Boulogne  four  days  earlier.  Peace  between  France  and  England 
was  not  concluded  till  June  7,  1546. 


340 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


they  had  finished  these,  I took  them  to  a city  which  be- 
longed to  the  Queen  of  Navarre  ; it  is  called  Argentana,  and 
is  distant  several  days’  journey  from  Parisd  On  arriving  at 
this  place,  I found  that  the  King  was  indisposed  ; and  the 
Cardinal  of  Ferrara  told  his  Majesty  that  I was  come.  He 
made  no  answer,  which  obliged  me  to  stay  several  days 
kicking  my  heels.  Of  a truth,  I never  was  more  uncomfort- 
able in  my  life  ; but  at  last  I presented  myself  one  evening 
and  offered  the  two  vases  for  the  King’s  inspection.  He 
was  excessively  delighted,  and  when  I saw  him  in  good 
humour,  I begged  his  Majesty  to  grant  me  the  favour  of 
permitting  me  to  travel  into  Italy  ; I would  leave  the  seven 
months  of  my  salary  which  were  due,  and  his  Majesty  might 
condescend  to  pay  me  when  I required  money  for  my  return 
journey.  I entreated  him  to  grant  this  petition,  seeing  that 
the  times  were  more  for  lighting  than  for  making  statues  ; 
moreover,  his  Majesty  had  allowed  a similar  license  to  Bologna 
the  painter,  wherefore  I humbly  begged  him  to  concede  the 
same  to  me.  While  I was  uttering  these  words  the  King 
kept  gazing  intently  on  the  vases,  and  from  time  to  time  shot 
a terrible  glance  at  me  ; nevertheless,  I went  on  praying  to 
the  best  of  my  ability  that  he  would  favour  my  petition.  All 
of  a sudden  he  rose  angrily  from  his  seat,  and  said  to  me 
in  Italian  : “ Benvenuto,  you  are  a great  fool.  Take  these 
vases  back  to  Paris,  for  I want  to  have  them  gilt.”  Without 
making  any  other  answer  he  then  departed. 

I went  up  to  the  Cardinal  of  Ferrara,  who  was  present, 
and  besought  him,  since  he  had  already  conferred  upon  me 
the  great  benefit  of  freeing  me  from  prison  in  Rome,  with 
many  others  besides,  to  do  me  this  one  favour  more  of  pro- 
curing for  me  leave  to  travel  into  Italy.  He  answered  that 
he  should  be  very  glad  to  do  his  best  to  gratify  me  in  this 
matter  ; I might  leave  it  without  farther  thought  to  him, 
and  even  if  I chose,  might  set  off  at  once,  because  he  would 
act  for  the  best  in  my  interest  with  the  King.  I told  the 
Cardinal  that  since  I was  aware  his  Majesty  had  put  me 
under  the  protection  of  his  most  reverend  lordship,  if  he 
gave  me  leave,  I felt  ready  to  depart,  and  promised  to  return 
upon  the  smallest  hint  from  his  reverence.  The  Cardinal 

^ Argentan,  the  city  of  the  Duchy  of  Alengon.  Margaret,  it  will  be  re- 
membered, had  been  first  married  to  the  Due  d’ Alen9on,  and  after  his  death 
retained  his  fiefs. 


BOOK  SECOND 


341 


then  bade  me  go  back  to  Paris  and  wait  there  eight  days, 
during  which  time  he  would  procure  the  King’s  license  for 
me  ; if  his  Majesty  refused  to  let  me  go,  he  would  without 
fail  inform  me  ; but  if  I received  no  letters,  that  would  be  a 
sign  that  I might  set  off  with  an  easy  mind. 


XLIX 

I obeyed  the  Cardinal,  and  returned  to  Paris,  where  I made 
excellent  cases  for  my  three  silver  vases.  After  the  lapse  of 
twenty  days,  I began  my  preparations,  and  packed  the  three 
vases  upon  a mule.  This  animal  had  been  lent  me  for  the 
journey  to  Lyons  by  the  Bishop  of  Pavia,  who  was  now  once 
more  installed  in  my  castle. 

Then  I departed  in  my  evil  hour,  together  with  Signor 
Ippolito  Gonzaga,  at  that  time  in  the  pay  of  the  King,  and 
also  in  the  service  of  Count  Galeotto  della  Mirandola.  Some 
other  gentlemen  of  the  said  count  went  with  us,  as  well  as 
Lionardo  Tedaldi,  our  fellow-citizen  of  Florence. 

I made  Ascanio  and  Pagolo  guardians  of  my  castle  and 
all  my  property,  including  tv»^o  little  vases  which  were  only 
just  begun  ; those  I left  behind  ini  order  that  the  two  young 
men  might  not  be  idle.  I had  lived  very  handsomely  in 
Paris,  and  therefore  there  was  a large  amount  of  costly 
household  furniture  : the  whole  value  of  these  effects  ex- 
ceeded 1500  crowns.  I bade  Ascanio  remember  what  great 
benefits  I had  bestowed  upon  him,  and  that  up  to  the  pre- 
sent he  had  been  a mere  thoughtless  lad  ; the  time  was  now 
come  for  him  to  show  the  prudence  of  a man  ; therefore  I 
thought  fit  to  leave  him  in  the  custody  of  all  my  goods,  as 
also  of  my  honour.  If  he  had  the  least  thing  to  complain 
of  from  those  brutes  of  Frenchmen,  he  was  to  let  me  hear 
at  once,  because  I would  take  post  and  fly  from  any  place 
in  which  I found  myself,  not  only  to  discharge  the  great 
obligations  under  which  I lay  to  that  good  King,  but  also 
to  defend  my  honour.  Ascanio  replied  with  the  tears  of  a 
thief  and  hypocrite  : “I  have  never  known  a father  better 
than  you  are,  and  all  things  which  a good  son  is  bound 
to  perform  for  p good  father  will  I ever  do  for  you.”  So 
then  I took  my  departure,  attended  by  a servant  and  a little 
French  lad. 


342 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


It  was  just  past  noon,  when  some  of  the  King’s  treasurers, 
by  no  means  friends  of  mine,  made  a visit  to  my  castle. 
The  rascally  fellows  began  by  saying  that  I had  gone  off 
with  the  King’s  silver,  and  told  Messer  Guido  and  the 
Bishop  of  Pavia  to  send  at  once  off  after  his  Majesty’s 
vases  ; if  not,  they  would  themselves  despatch  a messenger 
to  get  them  back,  and  do  me  some  great  mischief.  The 
Bishop  and  Messer  Guido  were  much  more  frightened  than 
was  necessary  ; so  they  sent  that  traitor  Ascanio  by  the  post 
off  on  the  spot.  He  made  his  appearance  before  me  about 
midnight.  I had  not  been  able  to  sleep,  and  kept  revolving 
sad  thoughts  to  the  following  effect  : “ In  whose  hands 
have  I left  my  property,  my  castle  ? Oh,  what  a fate  is 
this  of  mine,  which  forces  me  to  take  this  journey ! May 
God  grant  only  that  the  Cardinal  is  not  of  one  mind  with 
Madame  d’Etampes,  who  has  nothing  else  so  much  at  heart 
as  to  make  me  lose  the  grace  of  that  good  King.” 


L 

While  I was  thus  dismally  debating  with  myself,  I heard 
Ascanio  calling  me.  On  the  instant  I jumped  out  of  bed, 
and  asked  if  he  brought  good  or  evil  tidings.  The  knave 
answered  : “ They  are  good  news  I bring  ; but  you  must 
only  send  back  those  three  vases,  for  the  rascally  treasurers 
keep  shouting,  ‘ Stop,  thief  ! ’ So  the  Bishop  and  Messer 
Guido  say  that  you  must  absolutely  send  them  back.  For 
the  rest  you  need  have  no  anxiety,  but  may  pursue  your 
journey  with  a light  heart.”  I handed  over  the  vases  im- 
mediately, two  of  them  being  my  own  property,  together 
with  the  silver  and  much  else  besides.^  I had  meant  to 
take  them  to  the  Cardinal  of  Ferrara’s  abbey  at  Lyons  ; for 
though  people  accused  me  of  wanting  to  carry  them  into 
Italy,  everybody  knows  quite  well  that  it  is  impossible  to 
export  money,  gold,  or  silver  from  France  without  special 
license.  Consider,  therefore,  whether  I could  have  crossed 
the  frontier  with  those  three  great  vases,  which,  together 
with  their  cases,  were  a whole  mule’s  burden  ! It  is  cer- 
tainly true  that,  since  these  articles  were  of  great  value 

^ Con  Vargento  e ogni  cosa.  These  words  refer  perhaps  to  the  vases  : the 
silver  and  everything  pertaining  to  them. 


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343 


and  the  highest  beauty,  I felt  uneasiness  in  case  the  King 
should  die,  and  I had  lately  left  him  in  a very  bad  state  of 
health  ; therefore  I said  to  myself  : “If  such  an  accident 
should  happen,  having  these  things  in  the  keeping  of  the 
Cardinal,  I shall  not  lose  them.’’ 

Well,  to  cut  the  story  short,  I sent  back  the  mule  with 
the  vases,  and  other  things  of  importance  ; then,  upon  the 
following  morning,  I travelled  forward  with  the  company 
I have  already  mentioned,  nor  could  I,  through  the  whole 
journey,  refrain  from  sighing  and  weeping.  Sometimes, 
however,  I consoled  myself  with  God  by  saying  : “ Lord 
God,  before  whose  eyes  the  truth  lies  open  ! Thou  knowest 
that  my  object  in  this  journey  is  only  to  carry  alms  to  six 
poor  miserable  virgins  and  their  mother,  my  own  sister. 
They  have  indeed  their  father,  but  he  is  very  old,  and 
gains  nothing  by  his  trade ; I fear,  therefore,  lest  they 
might  too  easily  take  to  a bad  course  of  life.  Since,  then, 
I am  performing  a true  act  of  piety,  I look  to  Thy  Majesty 
for  aid  and  counsel.”  This  was  all  the  recreation  I enjoyed 
upon  my  forward  journey. 

We  were  one  day  distant  from  Lyons,  and  it  was  close 
upon  the  hour  of  twenty-two,  when  the  heavens  began  to 
thunder  with  sharp  rattling  claps,  although  the  sky  was 
quite  clear  at  the  time.^  I was  riding  a cross-bow  shot 
before  my  comrades.  After  the  thunder  the  heavens  made 
a noise  so  great  and  horrible  that  I thought  the  last  day 
had  come  ; so  I reined  in  for  a moment,  while  a shower 
of  hail  began  to  fall  without  a drop  of  water.  At  first  the 
hail  was  somewhat  larger  than  pellets  from  a popgun, 
and  when  these  struck  me,  they  hurt  considerably.  Little 
by  little  it  increased  in  size,  until  the  stones  might  be 
compared  to  balls  from  a crossbow.  My  horse  became 
restive  with  fright  ; so  I wheeled  round,  and  returned  at  a 
gallop  to  where  I found  my  comrades  taking  refuge  in  a 
fir-wood.  The  hail  now  grew  to  the  size  of  big  lemons. 
I began  to  sing  a Miserere  ; and  while  I was  devoutly 
uttering  this  psalm  to  God,  there  fell  a stone  so  huge  that 
it  smashed  the  thick  branch  of  the  pine  under  which  I had 
retired  for  safety.  Another  of  the  hailstones  hit  my  horse 
upon  the  head,  and  almost  stunned  him  ; one  struck  me 

^ E Varia  era  bianchissima.  Perhaps  this  ought  to  be  : and  the  air  blazed 
with  lightnings.  Goethe  takes  it  as  I do  above. 


344 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


also,  but  not  directly,  else  it  would  have  killed  me.  In 
like  manner,  poor  old  Lionardo  Tedaldi,  who  like  me  was 
kneeling  on  the  ground,  received  so  shrewd  a blow  that  he 
fell  grovelling  upon  all  fours.  When  I saw  that  the  fir  bough 
offered  no  protection,  and  that  I ought  to  act  as  well  as 
to  intone  my  Misereres,  I began  at  once  to  wrap  my  mantle 
round  my  head.  At  the  same  time  I cried  to  Lionardo, 
who  was  shrieking  for  succour,  “Jesus!  Jesus!’’  that  Jesus 
would  help  him  if  he  helped  himself.  I had  more  trouble 
in  looking  after  this  man’s  safety  than  my  own.  The  storm 
raged  for  some  while,  but  at  last  it  stopped  ; and  we,  who 
were  pounded  black  and  blue,  scrambled  as  well  as  we 
could  upon  our  horses.  Pursuing  the  way  to  our  lodging 
for  the  night,  we  showed  our  scratches  and  bruises  to  each 
other ; but  about  a mile  farther  on  we  came  upon  a scene 
of  devastation  which  surpassed  what  we  had  suffered,  and 
defies  description.  All  the  trees  were  stripped  of  their 
leaves  and  shattered ; the  beasts  in  the  field  lay  dead ; 
many  of  the  herdsmen  had  also  been  killed  ; we  observed 
large  quantities  of  hailstones  which  could  not  have  been 
grasped  with  two  hands.  Feeling  then  that  we  had  come 
well  out  of  a great  peril,  we  acknowledged  that  our  prayers 
to  God  and  Misereres  had  helped  us  more  than  we  could 
have  helped  ourselves.  Returning  thanks  to  God,  therefore, 
we  entered  Lyons  in  the  course  of  the  next  day,  and 
tarried  there  eight  days.  At  the  end  of  this  time,  being 
refreshed  in  strength  and  spirits,  we  resumed  our  journey, 
and  passed  the  mountains  without  mishap.  On  the  other 
side  I bought  a little  pony,  because  the  baggage  which  I 
carried  had  somewhat  overtired  my  horses. 


LI 

After  we  had  been  one  day  in  Italy,  the  Count  Galeotto 
della  Mirandola  joined  us.  He  was  travelling  by  post ; 
and  stopping  where  we  were,  he  told  me  that  I had  done 
wrong  to  leave  France  ; I ought  not  to  journey  forwards, 
for,  if  I returned  at  once,  my  affairs  would  be  more  pros- 
perous than  ever.  On  the  other  hand,  if  I persisted  in  my 
course,  I was  giving  the  game  up  to  my  enemies,  and  furnish- 
ing them  with  opportunities  to  do  me  mischief.  By  return- 


BOOK  SECOND 


345 


ing  I might  put  a stop  to  their  intrigues ; and  those  in 
whom  I placed  the  most  confidence  were  just  the  men  who 
played  most  traitorously.  He  would  not  say  more  than  that 
he  knew  very  well  all  about  it  ; and,  indeed,  the  Cardinal 
of  Ferrara  had  now  conspired  with  the  two  rogues  I left  in 
charge  of  all  my  business.  Having  repeated  over  and  over 
again  that  I ought  absolutely  to  turn  back,  he  went  onward 
with  the  post,  while  I,  being  influenced  by  my  companions, 
could  not  make  my  mind  up  to  return.  My  heart  was 
sorely  torn  asunder,  at  one  moment  by  the  desire  to  reach 
Florence  as  quickly  as  I could,  and  at  another  by  the  con- 
viction that  I ought  to  regain  France.  At  last,  in  order 
to  end  the  fever  of  this  irresolution,  I determined  to  take 
the  post  for  Florence.  I could  not  make  arrangements  with 
the  first  postmaster,  but  persisted  in  my  purpose  to  press 
forward,  and  endure  an  anxious  life  at  Florence.^ 

I arted  company  with  Signor  Ippolito  Gonzaga,  who 
took  the  route  for  Mirandola,  while  I diverged  upon  the 
road  to  Parma  and  Piacenza.  In  the  latter  city  I met  Duke 
Pier  Luigi  upon  the  street,  who  stared  me  in  the  face, 
and  recognised  me.’^  Since  I knew  him  to  have  been  the 
sole  cause  of  my  imprisonment  in  the  castle  of  S.  Angelo, 
the  sight  of  him  made  my  blood  boil.  Yet  being  unable 
to  escape  from  the  man,  I decided  to  pay  him  my  respects, 
and  arrived  just  after  he  had  risen  from  table  in  the  com- 
pany of  the  Landi,  who  afterwards  murdered  him.  On 
my  appearance,  he  received  me  with  unbounded  marks  of 
esteem  and  affection,  among  which  he  took  occasion  to  re- 
mark to  the  gentlemen  present  that  I was  the  first  artist  of 
the  world  in  my  own  line,  and  that  I had  been  for  a long 
while  in  prison  at  Rome.  Then  he  turned  to  me  and  said  : 
“My  Benvenuto,  I was  deeply  grieved  for  your  misfortune, 
and  knew  well  that  you  were  innocent,  but  could  not  do 

^ The  text  here  is  obscure.  The  words  venire  a tribulare  might  mean  “ to 
get,  by  any  means,  however  inconvenient,  to  Florence.”  I have  chosen 
another  interpretation  in  the  text,  as  more  consonant  with  the  Italian  idiom. 
For  Cellini’s  use  of  tribulare  or  tribolare^  see  lib.  i.  112,  andando  a tribolare 
la  vita  ttia. 

^ Pier  Luigi  Farnese  was  not  formally  invested  with  the  Duchy  of  Parma 
and  Piacenza  until  September  1545.  Cellini,  therefore,  gives  him  this  title  as 
Duke  of  Castro.  He  was  assassinated  on  September  10,  1547.  The  Landi, 
among  other  noblemen  of  the  duchy,  took  part  in  a conspiracy  which  had  its 
ground  in  Pier  Luigi’s  political  errors  no  less  than  in  his  intolerable  misgovern- 
ment  and  infamous  private  life. 


346 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


anything  to  help  you.  In  short,  it  was  my  father,  who 
chose  to  gratify  some  enemies  of  yours,  from  whom,  more- 
over, he  heard  that  you  had  spoken  ill  of  him.  I am  con- 
vinced this  was  not  true,  and  indeed  I was  heartily  sorry 
for  your  troubles.”  These  words  he  kept  piling  up  and 
repeating  until  he  seemed  to  be  begging  my  pardon.  After- 
wards he  inquired  about  the  work  I had  been  doing  for  his 
Most  Christian  Majesty  ; and  on  my  furnishing  him  with 
details,  he  listened  as  attentively  and  graciously  as  possible. 
Then  he  asked  if  I had  a mind  to  serve  him.  To  this  I 
replied  that  my  honour  would  not  allow  me  to  do  so  ; but 
that  if  I had  completed  those  extensive  works  begun  for 
the  King,  I should  be  disposed  to  quit  any  great  prince 
merely  to  enter  his  Excellency’s  service. 

Hereby  it  may  be  seen  how  the  power  and  goodness  of 
God  never  leave  unpunished  any  sort  or  quality  of  men 
who  act  unjustly  toward  the  innocent.  This  man  did  what 
was  equivalent  to  begging  my  pardon  in  the  presence  of 
those  very  persons  who  subsequently  took  revenge  on  him 
for  me  and  many  others  whom  he  had  massacred.  Let 
then  no  prince,  however  great  he  be,  laugh  at  God’s  justice, 
in  the  way  that  many  whom  I know  are  doing,  and  who 
have  cruelly  maltreated  me,  as  I shall  relate  at  the  proper 
time.  I do  not  write  these  things  in  any  worldly  spirit  of 
boasting,  but  only  to  return  thanks  to  God,  my  deliverer 
in  so  many  trials.  In  those  too  which  daily  assail  me,  I 
always  carry  my  complaint  to  Him,  and  call  on  Him  to  be 
my  defender.  On  all  occasions,  after  I have  done  my  best 
to  aid  myself,  if  I lose  courage  and  my  feeble  forces  fail, 
then  is  the  great  might  of  God  manifested,  which  descends 
unexpectedly  on  those  who  wrongfully  injure  their  neigh- 
bours, or  neglect  the  grave  and  honourable  charge  they 
have  received  from  Him. 


LII 

When  I returned  to  my  inn,  I found  that  the  Duke  had  sent 
me  abundance  to  eat  and  drink  of  very  excellent  quality.  I 
made  a hearty  meal,  then  mounted  and  rode  toward  Florence. 
There  I found  my  sister  with  six  daughters,  the  eldest  of 
whom  was  marriageable  and  the  youngest  still  at  nurse.  Her 


BOOK  SECOND 


347 


husband,  by  reason  of  divers  circumstances  in  the  city,  had 
lost  employment  from  his  trade.  I had  sent  gems  and 
French  jewellery,  more  than  a year  earlier,  to  the  amount  of 
about  two  thousand  ducats,  and  now  brought  with  me  the 
same  wares  to  the  value  of  about  one  thousand  crowns.  I 
discovered  that,  whereas  I made  them  an  allowance  of  four 
golden  crowns  a month,  they  always  drew  considerable  sums 
from  the  current  sale  of  these  articles.  My  brother-in-law 
was  such  an  honest  fellow,  that,  fearing  to  give  me  cause  for 
anger,  he  had  pawned  nearly  everything  he  possessed,  and 
was  devoured  by  interest,  in  his  anxiety  to  leave  my  monies 
untouched.  It  seems  that  my  allowance,  made  by  way  of 
charity,  did  not  suffice  for  the  needs  of  the  family.  When 
then  I found  him  so  honest  in  his  dealings,  I felt  inclined 
to  raise  his  pension ; and  it  was  my  intention,  before 
leaving  Florence,  to  make  some  arrangement  for  all  of  his 
daughters.^ 


LIII 

The  Duke  of  Florence  at  this  time,  which  was  the  month 
of  August  1545,  had  retired  to  Poggio  a Cajano,  ten  miles 
distant  from  Florence.  Thither  then  I went  to  pay  him 
my„  respects,  with  the  sole  object  of  acting  as  duty  required, 
first  because  I was  a Florentine,  and  next  because  my  fore- 
fathers had  always  been  adherents  of  the  Medicean  party, 
and  I yielded  to  none  of  them  in  affection  for  this  Duke 
Cosimo.  As  I have  said,  then,  I rode  to  Poggio  with  the 
sole  object  of  paying  my  respects,  and  with  no  intention  of 
accepting  service  under  him,  as  God,  who  does  all  things 
well,  did  then  appoint  for  me. 

When  I was  introduced,  the  Duke  received  me  very 
kindly ; then  he  and  the  Duchess  put  questions  concerning 
the  works  which  I had  executed  for  the  King.^  I answered 
willingly  and  in  detail.  After  listening  to  my  story,  he 
answered  that  he  had  heard  as  much,  and  that  I spoke  the 
truth.  Then  he  assumed  a tone  of  sympathy,  and  added : 

^ Though  this  paragraph  is  confused,  the  meaning  seems  to  be  that  Cellini’s 
brother-in-law  did  not  use  the  money  which  accrued  from  the  sale  of  jewel- 
lery, and  got  into  debt,  because  his  allowance  was  inadequate,  and  he  was 
out  of  work. 

^ This  Duchess  was  Eleonora  di  Toledo,  well  known  to  us  through  Bronzino’s 
portrait. 


348 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


“ How  small  a recompense  for  such  great  and  noble  master- 
pieces ! Friend  Benvenuto,  if  you  feel  inclined  to  execute 
something  for  me  too,  I am  ready  to  pay  you  far  better  than 
that  King  of  yours  has  done,  for  whom  your  excellent  nature 
prompts  you  to  speak  so  gratefully.’’  When  I understood 
his  drift,  I described  the  deep  obligations  under  which  I lay 
to  his  Majesty,  who  first  obtained  my  liberation  from  that 
iniquitous  prison,  and  afterwards  supplied  me  with  the  means 
of  carrying  out  more  admirable  works  than  any  artist  of  my 
quality  had  ever  had  the  chance  to  do.  While  I was  thus 
speaking,  my  lord  the  Duke  writhed  on  his  chair,  and  seemed 
as  though  he  could  not  bear  to  hear  me  to  the  end.  Then, 
when  I had  concluded,  he  rejoined  : “ If  you  are  disposed  to 
work  for  me,  I will  treat  you  in  a way  that  will  astonish  you, 
provided  the  fruits  of  your  labours  give  me  satisfaction,  of 
which  I have  no  doubt.”  I,  poor  unhappy  mortal,  burning 
with  desire  to  show  the  noble  school  ^ of  Florence  that,  after 
leaving  her  in  youth,  I had  practised  other  branches  of  the 
art  than  she  imagined,  gave  answer  to  the  Duke  that  I would 
willingly  erect  for  him  in  marble  or  in  bronze  a mighty  statue 
on  his  fine  piazza.  He  replied  that,  for  a first  essay,  he 
should  like  me  to  produce  a Perseus  ; he  had  long  set  his 
heart  on  having  such  a monument,  and  he  begged  me  to 
begin  a model  for  the  same.^  I very  gladly  set  myself  to  the 
task,  and  in  a few  weeks  I finished  my  model,  which  was 
about  a cubit  high,  in  yellow  wax  and  very  delicately  finished 
in  all  its  details.  I had  made  it  with  the  most  thorough 
study  and  art.^ 

The  Duke  returned  to  Florence,  but  several  days  passed 
before  I had  an  opportunity  of  showing  my  model.  It 
seemed  indeed  as  though  he  had  never  set  eyes  on  me  or 
spoken  with  me,  and  this  caused  me  to  augur  ill  of  my  future 
dealings  with  his  Excellency.  Later  on,  however,  one  day 

^ This  school  was  the  Collegio  dei  Maestri  di  Belle  Arti  in  Florence,  who 
had  hitherto  known  of  Cellini  mainly  as  a goldsmith. 

Cosimo  chose  the  subject  of  Perseus  because  it  symbolised  his  own  victory 
over  the  Gorgon  of  tyrannicide  and  Republican  partisanship.  Donatello’s 
Judith,  symbolising  justifiable  regicide,  and  Michel  Angelo’s  David,  sym- 
bolising the  might  of  innocent  right  against  an  overbearing  usurper,  already 
decorated  the  Florentine  piazza.  Until  lately,  both  of  these  masterpieces  stood 
together  there  with  the  Perseus  of  Cellini. 

^ This  is  probably  the  precious  model  now  existing  in  the  Bargello  Palace 
at  Florence,  in  many  points  more  interesting  than  the  completed  bronze  statue 
under  the  Loggia  de’  Lanzi. 


BOOK  SECOND 


349 


after  dinner,  I took  it  to  his  wardrobe,  where  he  came  to 
inspect  it  with  the  Duchess  and  a few  gentlemen  of  the  court. 
No  sooner  had  he  seen  it  than  he  expressed  much  pleasure, 
and  extolled  it  to  the  skies  ; wherefrom  I gathered  some  hope 
that  he  might  really  be  a connoisseur  of  art.  After  having 
well  considered  it  for  some  time,  always  with  greater  satis- 
faction, he  began  as  follows  : “ If  you  could  only  execute  this 
little  model,  Benvenuto,  with  the  same  perfection  on  a large 
scale,  it  would  be  the  finest  piece  in  the  piazza.^^  I replied  : 
“ Most  excellent  my  lord,  upon  the  piazza  are  now  standing 
works  by  the  great  Donatello  and  the  incomparable  Michel 
Angelo,  the  two  greatest  men  who  have  ever  lived  since  the 
days  of  the  ancients.^  But  since  your  Excellence  encourages 
my  model  with  such  praise,  I feel  the  heart  to  execute  it  at 
least  thrice  as  well  in  bronze.’^  ^ No  slight  dispute  arose  upon 
this  declaration  ; the  Duke  protesting  that  he  understood 
these  matters  perfectly,  and  was  quite  aware  what  could  be 
done.  1 rejoined  that  my  achievements  would  resolve  his 
dubitations  and  debates  ; I was  absolutely  sure  of  being  able 
to  perform  far  more  than  I had  promised  for  his  Excellency, 
but  that  he  must  give  me  means  for  carrying  my  work  out, 
else  I could  not  fulfil  my  undertaking.  In  return  for  this 
his  Excellency  bade  me  formulate  my  demands  in  a petition, 
detailing  all  my  requirements  ; he  would  see  them  liberally 
attended  to. 

It  is  certain  that  if  I had  been  cunning  enough  to  secure 
by  contract  all  I wanted  for  my  work,  I should  not  have 
incurred  the  great  troubles  which  came  upon  me  through 
my  own  fault.  But  he  showed  the  strongest  desire  to  have 
the  work  done,  and  the  most  perfect  willingness  to  arrange 
preliminaries.  I therefore,  not  discerning  that  he  was  more  a 
merchant  than  a duke,  dealt  very  frankly  with  his  Excellency, 
just  as  if  I had  to  do  with  a prince,  and  not  with  a commercial 
man.  I sent  in  my  petition,  to  which  he  replied  in  large 
and  ample  terms.  The  memorandum  ran  as  follows  : “ Most 
rare  and  excellent  my  patron,  petitions  of  any  validity  and 
compacts  between  us  of  any  value  do  not  rest  upon  words 
or  writings  ; the  whole  point  is  that  I should  succeed  in  my 
work  according  to  my  promise  ; and  if  I so  succeed,  I feel 

^ Donatello’s  Judith  and  Holofernes  ; Michel  Angelo’s  David. 

2 It  is  difficult  to  give  the  exact  sense  of  pertanto  and  perchi  in  the  text 
but  I think  the  drift  of  the  sentence  is  rendered  above. 


350 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


convinced  that  your  most  illustrious  Excellency  will  very 
well  remember  what  you  have  engaged  to  do  for  me/^ 
This  language  so  charmed  the  Duke  both  with  my  ways 
of  acting  and  of  speaking  that  he  and  the  Duchess  began 
to  treat  me  with  extraordinary  marks  of  favour. 


LIV 

Being  now  inflamed  with  a great  desire  to  begin  work- 
ing, I told  his  Excellency  that  I had  need  of  a house  where 
I could  install  myself  and  erect  furnaces,  in  order  to  com- 
mence operations  in  clay  and  bronze,  and  also,  according  to 
their  separate  requirements,  in  gold  and  silver,  I knew  that 
lie  was  well  aware  how  thoroughly  I could  serve  him  in 
those  several  branches,  and  I required  some  dwelling  fitted 
for  my  business.  In  order  that  his  Excellency  might  per- 
ceive how  earnestly  I wished  to  work  for  him,  I had  already 
chosen  a convenient  house,  in  a quarter  much  to  my  liking.^ 
As  I did  not  want  to  trench  upon  his  Excellency  for  money 
or  anything  of  that  sort,  I had  brought  with  me  from  France 
two  jewels,  with  which  I begged  him  to  purchase  me  the 
house,  and  to  keep  them  until  I earned  it  with  my  labour. 
These  jewels  were  excellently  executed  by  my  workmen, 
after  my  own  designs.  When  he  had  inspected  them  with 
minute  attention,  he  uttered  these  spirited  words,  which 
clothed  my  soul  with  a false  hope  : “ Take  back  your  jewels, 
Benvenuto  ! I want  you,  and  not  them  ; you  shall  have  your 
house  free  of  charges.’’  After  this,  he  signed  a rescript 
underneath  the  petition  I had  drawn  up,  and  which  I have 
always  preserved  among  my  papers.  The  rescript  ran  as 
follows  : “ Let  the  house  he  seen  to,  and  who  is  the  vendor, 
and  at  what  price ; for  we  wish  to  comply  with  Benvenuto’’ s 
request.”'^  I naturally  thought  that  this  would  secure  me 
in  possession  of  the  house  ; being  over  and  above  convinced 
that  my  performances  must  far  exceed  what  I promised. 

His  Excellency  committed  the  execution  of  these  orders 
to  his  majordomo,  who  was  named  Ser  Pier  Francesco 

^ This  house  is  in  the  Via  del  Rosaio,  entered  from  Via  della  Pergola, 
No.  6527, 

The  petition  and  the  rescript  are  in  existence,  and  confirm  Cellini’s  vera- 
city in  this  transaction.  See  Bianchi,  p.  587. 


BOOK  SECOND 


351 


Riccio.i  The  man  came  from  Prato,  and  had  been  the 
Duke’s  pedagogue.  I talked,  then,  to  this  donkey,  and 
described  my  requirements,  for  there  was  a garden  ad- 
joining the  house,  on  which  I wanted  to  erect  a workshop. 
He  handed  the  matter  over  to  a paymaster,  dry  and  meagre, 
who  bore  the  name  of  Lattanzio  Gorini.  This  flimsy  little 
fellow,  W'ith  his  tiny  spider’s  hands  and  small  gnat’s  voice, 
moved  about  the  business  at  a snail’s  pace  ; yet  in  an  evil 
hour  he  sent  me  stones,  sand,  and  lime  enough  to  build 
perhaps  a pigeon-house  with  careful  management.  When 
I saw  how  coldly  things  were  going  forward,  I began  to 
feel  dismayed  ; however,  I said  to  myself : “ Little  begin- 
nings sometimes  have  great  endings  ; ” and  I fostered  hope 
in  my  heart  by  noticing  how  many  thousand  ducats  had 
recently  been  squandered  upon  ugly  pieces  of  bad  sculpture 
turned  out  by  that  beast  of  a Buaccio  Bandinelli.^  So  I 
rallied  my  spirits  and  kept  prodding  at  Lattanzio  Gorini, 
to  make  him  go  a little  faster.  It  was  like  shouting  to  a 
pack  of  lame  donkeys  with  a blind  dwarf  for  their  driver. 
Under  these  difficulties,  and  by  the  use  of  my  own  money, 
I had  soon  marked  out  the  foundations  of  the  workshop 
and  cleared  the  ground  of  trees  and  vines,  labouring  on, 
according  to  my  wont,  with  fire,  and  perhaps  a trifle  of 
impatience. 

On  the  other  side,  I was  in  the  hands  of  Tasso  the  car- 
penter, a great  friend  of  mine,  who  had  received  my  instruc- 
tions for  making  a wooden  framework  to  set  up  the  Perseus. 
This  Tasso  was  a most  excellent  craftsman,  the  best,  I 
believe,  who  ever  lived  in  his  own  branch  of  art.^  Per- 
sonally, he  was  gay  and  merry  by  temperament ; and  when- 
ever I went  to  see  him,  he  met  me  laughing,  with  some  little 
song  in  falsetto  on  his  lips.  Half  in  despair  as  I then  was, 
news  coming  that  my  affairs  in  France  were  going  wrong, 
and  these  in  Florence  promising  but  ill  through  the  luke- 
warmness of  my  patron,  I could  never  stop  listening  till 
half  the  song  was  finished  ; and  so  in  the  end  I used  to 

^ Varchi,  St.  Fior.^  lib.  xv.  44,  gives  to  this  man  the  character  of  a pre- 
sumptuous conceited  simpleton. 

2 Cellini  calls  this  man,  his  bitter  foe  and  rival,  Buaccio  or  the  great  ox, 
blockhead,  instead  of  Baccio,  which  is  shortened  for  Bartolommeo. 

^ See  p.  21.  Vasari  introduced  him,  together  with  Cosimo’s  other  favoured 
artists,  in  a fresco  of  the  Palazzo  Vecchio  at  Florence.  See  Plon,  p.  124. 


35^ 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


cheer  up  a little  with  my  friend,  and  drove  away,  as  well 
as  I was  able,  some  few  of  the  gloomy  thoughts  which 
weighed  upon  me. 


LV 

I had  got  all  the  above-mentioned  things  in  order,  and 
was  making  vigorous  preparations  for  my  great  undertaking 
— indeed  a portion  of  the  lime  had  been  already  used — 
when  I received  sudden  notice  to  appear  before  the  major- 
domo.  I found  him,  after  his  Excellency's  dinner,  in  the 
hall  of  the  clock. ^ On  entering,  I paid  him  marked  respect, 
and  he  received  me  with  the  greatest  stiffness.  Then  he 
asked  who  had  installed  me  in  the  house,  and  by  whose 
authority  I had  begun  to  build  there,  saying  he  marvelled 
much  that  I had  been  so  headstrong  and  foolhardy.  I 
answered  that  I had  been  installed  in  the  house  by  his 
Excellency,  and  that  his  lordship  himself,  in  the  name  of 
his  Excellency,  had  given  the  orders  to  Lattanzio  Gorini. 
“ Lattanzio  brought  stone,  sand,  and  lime,  and  provided 
what  I wanted,  saying  he  did  so  at  your  lordship’s  orders.” 
When  I had  thus  spoken,  the  brute  turned  upon  me  with 
still  greater  tartness,  vowing  that  neither  I nor  any  of 
those  whom  I had  mentioned  spoke  the  truth.  This  stung 
me  to  the  quick,  and  I exclaimed:  “O  majordomo,  so  long 
as  your  lordships  chooses  to  use  language  befitting  the  high 
office  which  you  hold,  I shall  revere  you,  and  speak  to  you 
as  respectfully  as  I do  to  the  Duke  ; if  you  take  another 
line  with  me,  I shall  address  you  as  but  one  Ser  Pier  Fran- 
cesco Riccio.”  He  flew  into  such  a rage  that  I thought 
he  meant  to  go  mad  upon  the  spot,  anticipating  the  time 
ordained  by  Heaven  for  him  to  do  so.^  Pouring  forth  a 
torrent  of  abuse,  he  roared  out  that  he  was  surprised  at 
himself  for  having  let  me  speak  at  all  to  a man  of  his 
quality.  Thereupon  my  blood  was  up,  and  I cried  : “ Mark 

^ One  of  the  rooms  in  the  Palazzo  Vecchio,  so  called  because  the  famous 
cosmographical  timepiece,  made  about  1484  for  Lorenzo  de’  Medici  by  Lorenzo 
della  Volpaia,  stood  there. 

It  was  the  custom  at  that  epoch  to  address  princes  by  the  title  of  Signore 
or  Vostra  Signoria  ; gentlemen  (armigeri)  had  the  title  of  Messer ; simple  Ser 
was  given  to  plebeians  with  some  civil  or  ecclesiastical  dignity. 

^ Vasari,  in  his  Life  of  Montorsoli,  says  in  effect  that  this  Iliccio  died  about 
1559,  after  having  been  insane  several  years. 


BOOK  SECOND 


353 


my  words,  then,  Ser  Pier  Francesco  Riccio ! I will  tell 
you  what  sort  of  men  are  my  equals,  and  who  are  yours — 
mere  teachers  of  the  alphabet  to  children  ! ’’  His  face  con- 
tracted with  a spasm,  while  he  raised  his  voice  and  repeated 
the  same  words  in  a still  more  insulting  tone.  I,  too, 
assumed  an  air  of  menace,  and  matching  his  own  arrogance 
with  something  of  the  same  sort,  told  him  plainly  that  men 
of  my  kind  were  worthy  to  converse  with  popes  and  em- 
perors, and  great  kings,  and  that  perhaps  there  were  not 
two  such  men  alive  upon  this  earth,  while  ten  of  his  sort 
might  be  met  at  every  doorway.  On  hearing  these  words 
he  jumped  upon  a window-seat  in  the  hall  there,  and  defied 
me  to  repeat  what  I had  said.  I did  so  with  still  greater 
heat  and  spirit,  adding  I had  no  farther  mind  to  serve 
the  Duke,  and  that  I should  return  to  France,  where  I 
was  always  welcome.  The  brute  remained  there  stupefied 
and  pale  as  clay  ; I went  off  furious,  resolved  on  leaving 
Florence  ; and  would  to  God  that  I had  done  so  ! 

The  Duke  cannot,  I think,  have  been  informed  at  once 
of  this  diabolical  scene,  for  I waited  several  days  without 
hearing  from  him.  Giving  up  all  thoughts  of  Florence, 
except  what  concerned  the  settlement  of  my  sister’s  and 
nieces’  affairs,  I made  preparations  to  provide  for  them  as 
well  as  I could  with  the  small  amount  of  money  I had 
brought,  and  then  to  return  to  France  and  never  set  my 
foot  in  Italy  again.  This  being  my  firm  purpose,  I had  no 
intention  to  ask  leave  of  the  Duke  or  anybody,  but  to  decamp 
as  quickly  as  I could  ; when  one  morning  the  majordomo, 
of  his  own  accord,  sent  very  humbly  to  entreat  my  pre- 
sence, and  opened  a long  pedantic  oration,  in  which  I could 
discover  neither  method,  nor  elegance,  nor  meaning,  nor 
head,  nor  tail.  I only  gathered  from  it  that  he  professed 
himself  a good  Christian,  wished  to  bear  no  man  malice, 
and  asked  me  in  the  Duke’s  name  what  salary  I should  be 
willing  to  accept.  Hearing  this,  I stood  a while  on  guard, 
and  made  no  answer,  being  firmly  resolved  not  to  engage 
myself.  When  he  saw  that  I refused  to  reply,  he  had  at 
least  the  cleverness  to  put  in  : “ Benvenuto,  dukes  expect 
to  be  answered  ; and  what  I am  saying  to  you,  I am  saying 
from  his  Excellency’s  lips.”  Then  I rejoined  that  if  the 
message  came  from  his  Excellency,  I would  gladly  reply, 
and  told  him  to  report  to  the  Duke  that  I could  not  accept 


354 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


a position  inferior  to  that  of  any  one  employed  by  him  as 
artist.  The  majordomo  answered  : “ Bandinelli  receives  two 
hundred  crowns  a year  ; if  then  you  are  contented  with 
that,  your  salary  is  settled.”  I agreed  upon  these  terms, 
adding  that  what  I might  earn  in  addition  by  the  merit  of 
my  performances,  could  be  given  after  they  were  seen  ; that 
point  I left  entirely  to  the  good  judgment  of  his  Excellency. 
Thus,  then,  against  my  will,  I pieced  the  broken  thread 
again,  and  set  to  work  ; the  Duke  continually  treating  me 
with  the  highest  imaginable  marks  of  favour. 


LVI 

i received  frequent  letters  from  France,  written  by  my 
most  faithful  friend  Messer  Guido  Guidi.  As  yet  they  told 
nothing  but  good  news  ; and  Ascanio  also  bade  me  enjoy 
myself  without  uneasiness,  since,  if  anything  happened,  he 
would  let  me  know  at  once. 

Now  the  King  was  informed  that  I had  commenced  work- 
ing for  the  Duke  of  Florence,  and  being  the  best  man  in  the 
world,  he  often  asked  : “ Why  does  not  Benvenuto  come 
back  to  us  ? ” He  put  searching  questions  on  the  subject 
to  my  two  workmen,  both  of  whom  replied  that  I kept  writ- 
ing I was  well  off  where  I was,  adding  they  thought  I did 
not  want  to  re-enter  the  service  of  his  Majesty.  Incensed  by 
these  presumptuous  words,  which  were  none  of  my  saying, 
the  King  exclaimed  : “ Since  he  left  us  without  any  cause, 
I shall  not  recall  him  ; let  him  e’en  stay  where  he  is.”  Thus 
the  thievish  brigands  brought  matters  exactly  to  the  pass 
they  desired  ; for  if  I had  returned  to  France,  they  would 
have  become  mere  workmen  under  me  once  more,  whereas, 
while  I remained  away,  they  were  their  own  masters  and 
in  my  place ; consequently,  they  did  everything  in  their 
power  to  prevent  my  coming  back. 


LVIl 

While  the  workshop  for  executing  my  Perseus  was  in 
building,  I used  to  work  in  a ground-floor  room.  Here  I 
modelled  the  statue  in  plaster,  giving  it  the  same  dimensions 


BOOK  SECOND 


355 


as  the  bronze  was  meant  to  have,  and  intending  to  cast  it 
from  this  mould.  But  finding  that  it  would  take  rather 
long  to  carry  it  out  in  this  way,  I resolved  upon  another 
expedient,  especially  as  now  a wretched  little  studio  had 
been  erected,  brick  on  brick,  so  miserably  built  that  the 
mere  recollection  of  it  gives  me  pain.  So  then  I began 
the  figure  of  Medusa,  and  constructed  the  skeleton  in  iron. 
Afterwards  I put  on  the  clay,  and  when  that  was  modelled, 
baked  it. 

I had  no  assistants  except  some  little  shopboys,  among 
whom  was  one  of  great  beauty  ; he  was  the  son  of  a prostitute 
called  La  Gambetta.  I made  use  of  the  lad  as  a model,  for 
the  only  books  which  teach  this  art  are  the  natural  human 
body.  Meanwhile,  as  I could  not  do  everything  alone,  I 
looked  about  for  workmen  in  order  to  put  the  business  quickly 
through  ; but  I was  unable  to  find  any.  There  were  indeed 
some  in  Florence  who  would  willingly  have  come,  but  Bandi- 
nello  prevented  them,  and  after  keeping  me  in  want  of  aid 
awhile,  told  the  Duke  that  I was  trying  to  entice  his  workpeople 
because  I was  quite  incapable  of  setting  up  so  great  a statue 
by  myself.  I complained  to  the  Duke  of  the  annoyance  which 
the  brute  gave  me,  and  begged  him  to  allow  me  some  of  the 
labourers  from  the  Opera.^  My  request  inclined  him  to  lend 
ear  to  Bandinello’s  calumnies  ; and  when  I noticed  that,  I set 
about  to  do  my  utmost  by  myself  alone.  The  labour  was  enor- 
mous : I had  to  strain  every  muscle  night  and  day  ; and  just 
then  the  husband  of  my  sister  sickened,  and  died  after  a few 
days’  illness.  He  left  my  sister,  still  young,  with  six  girls  of  all 
ages,  on  my  hands.  This  was  the  first  great  trial  I endured  in 
Florence,  to  be  made  the  father  and  guardian  of  such  a dis- 
tressed family. 

LVIII 

In  my  anxiety  that  nothing  should  go  wrong,  I sent  for  two 
hand-labourers  to  clear  my  garden  of  rubbish.  They  came 
from  Ponte  Vecchio,  the  one  an  old  man  of  sixty  years,  the 
other  a young  fellow  of  eighteen.  After  employing  them  about 
three  days,  the  lad  told  me  that  the  old  man  would  not  work, 
and  that  I had  better  send  him  away,  since,  beside  being  idle, 

^ That  is,  the  Opera  del  Duomo,  or  permanent  establishment  for  attending 
to  the  fabric  of  the  Florentine  Cathedral. 


3S6 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


he  prevented  his  comrade  from  working.  The  little  I had  to 
do  there  could  be  done  by  himself,  without  throwing  money 
away  on  other  people.  The  youth  was  called  Bernardino 
Mannellini,  of  Mugello.  When  I saw  that  he  was  so  inclined 
to  labour,  I asked  whether  he  would  enter  my  service,  and  we 
agreed  upon  the  spot.  He  groomed  my  horse,  gardened,  and 
soon  essayed  to  help  me  in  the  workshop,  with  such  success 
that  by  degrees  he  learned  the  art  quite  nicely.  I never  had 
a better  assistant  than  he  proved.  Having  made  up  my  mind 
to  accomplish  the  whole  affair  with  this  man^s  aid,  I now  let 
the  Duke  know  that  Bandinello  was  lying,  and  that  I could 
get  on  famously  without  his  workpeople. 

Just  at  this  time  I suffered  slightly  in  the  loins,  and  being 
unable  to  work  hard,  I was  glad  to  pass  my  time  in  the  Duke’s 
wardrobe  with  a couple  of  young  goldsmiths  called  Gianpagolo 
and  Domenico  Poggini,’^  who  made  a little  golden  cup  under 
my  direction.  It  was  chased  in  bas-relief  with  figures  and 
other  pretty  ornaments,  and  his  Excellency  meant  it  for  the 
Duchess  to  drink  water  out  of.  He  furthermore  commissioned 
me  to  execute  a golden  belt,  which  I enriched  with  gems  and 
delicate  masks  and  other  fancies.  The  Duke  came  frequently 
into  the  wardrobe,  and  took  great  pleasure  in  watching  me  at 
work  and  talking  to  me.  When  my  health  improved,  I had 
clay  brought,  and  took  a portrait  of  his  Excellency,  consider- 
ably larger  than  life-size,  which  I modelled  while  he  stayed 
with  me  for  pastime.  He  was  highly  delighted  with  this 
piece,  and  conceived  such  a liking  for  me  that  he  earnestly 
begged  me  to  take  up  my  working  quarters  in  the  palace, 
selecting  rooms  large  enough  for  my  purpose,  and  fitting  them 
up  with  furnaces  and  all  I wanted,  for  he  greatly  enjoyed 
watching  the  processes  of  art.  I replied  that  this  was  im- 
possible ; I should  not  have  finished  my  undertakings  in  a 
hundred  years. 


LIX 

The  Duchess  also  treated  me  with  extraordinary  gracious- 
ness, and  would  have  been  pleased  if  I had  worked  for  her 
alone,  forgetting  Perseus  and  everything  besides.  I for  my 
part,  while  these  vain  favours  were  being  showered  upon  me, 

^ These  two  brothers  were  specially  eminent  as  die-casters.  Gianpagolo 
went  to  Spain,  and  served  Philip  II. 


BOOK  SECOND 


357 


knew  only  too  well  that  my  perverse  and  biting  fortune  could 
not  long  delay  to  send  me  some  fresh  calamity,  because  I kept 
ever  before  my  eyes  the  great  mistake  I had  committed  while 
seeking  to  do  a good  action.  I refer  to  my  affairs  in  France. 
The  King  could  not  swallow  the  displeasure  he  felt  at  my 
departure  ; and  yet  he  wanted  me  to  return,  if  only  this  could 
be  brought  about  without  concessions  on  his  part.  I thought 
that  I was  entirely  in  the  right,  and  would  not  bend  sub- 
missively, because  I judged  that  if  I wrote  in  humble  terms, 
those  enemies  of  mine  would  say  in  their  French  fashion  that 
I had  confessed  myself  to  blame,  and  that  certain  misdoings 
with  which  they  wrongfully  taxed  me  were  proved  true. 
Therefore  I stood  upon  my  honour,  and  wrote  in  terms  of 
haughty  coldness,  which  was  precisely  what  those  two  traitors, 
my  apprentices,  most  heartily  desired.  In  my  letters  to  them 
I boasted  of  the  distinguished  kindness  shown  me  in  my  own 
birthplace  by  a prince  and  princess  the  absolute  masters  of 
Florence.  Whenever  they  received  one  of  these  despatches, 
they  went  to  the  King,  and  besieged  his  Majesty  with  en- 
treaties for  the  castle  upon  the  same  terms  as  he  had  granted 
it  to  me.  The  King,  who  was  a man  of  great  goodness  and 
perspicacity,  would  never  consent  to  the  presumptuous  de- 
mands of  those  scoundrels,  since  he  scented  the  malignity  of 
their  aims.  Yet,  wishing  to  keep  them  in  expectation,  and 
to  give  me  the  opportunity  of  coming  back,  he  caused  an 
angry  letter  to  be  written  to  me  by  his  treasurer,  Messer 
Giuliano  Buonaccorsi,  a burgher  of  Florence.  The  substance 
was  as  follows : If  I wanted  to  preserve  the  reputation  for 
honesty  which  I had  hitherto  enjoyed,  it  was  my  plain  duty, 
after  leaving  France  with  no  cause  whatsoever,  to  render  an 
account  of  all  that  I had  done  and  dealt  with  for  his  Majesty. 

The  receipt  of  this  letter  gave  me  such  pleasure  that,  if  I 
had  consulted  my  own  palate,  I could  not  have  wished  for 
either  more  or  less.  I sat  down  to  write  an  answer,  and 
filled  nine  pages  of  ordinary  paper.  In  this  document  I 
described  in  detail  all  the  works  which  I had  executed,  and 
all  the  adventures  I had  gone  through  while  performing  them, 
and  all  the  sums  which  had  been  spent  upon  them.  The 
payments  had  always  been  made  through  two  notaries  and 
one  of  his  Majesty’s  treasurers ; and  I could  show  receipts 
from  all  the  men  into  whose  hands  they  passed,  whether  for 
goods  supplied  or  labour  rendered.  I had  not  pocketed  one 


358 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


penny  of  the  money,  nor  had  I received  any  reward  for  my 
completed  works.  I brought  back  with  me  into  Italy  nothing 
but  some  marks  of  favour  and  most  royal  promises,  truly 
worthy  of  his  Majesty.  “ Now,  though  I cannot  vaunt  myself 
of  any  recompense  beyond  the  salaries  appointed  for  my 
maintenance  in  France,  seven  hundred  golden  crowns  of 
which  are  still  due,  inasmuch  as  I abstained  from  drawing 
them  until  I could  employ  them  on  my  return- journey  ; yet 
knowing  that  malicious  foes  out  of  their  envious  hearts  have 
played  some  knavish  trick  against  me,  I feel  confident  that 
truth  will  prevail.  I take  pride  in  his  Most  Christian  Majesty, 
and  am  not  moved  b}^  avarice.  I am  indeed  aware  of  having 
performed  for  him  far  more  than  I undertook  ; and  albeit 
the  promised  reward  has  not  been  given  me,  my  one  anxiety 
is  to  remain  in  his  Majesty’s  opinion  that  man  of  probity  and 
honour  which  I have  always  been.  If  your  Majesty  enter- 
tains the  least  doubt  upon  this  point,  I will  fly  to  render  an 
account  of  my  conduct,  at  the  risk  even  of  my  life.  But 
noticing  in  what  slight  esteem  I am  held,  I have  had  no  mind 
to  come  back  and  make  an  offer  of  myself,  knowing  that  I 
shall  never  lack  for  bread  whithersoever  I may  go.  If,  how- 
ever, I am  called  for,  I will  always  answer.”  The  letter  con- 
tained many  further  particulars  worthy  of  the  King’s  attention, 
and  proper  to  the  preservation  of  my  honour.  Before  de- 
spatching it,  I took  it  to  the  Duke,  who  read  it  with  interest ; 
then  I sent  it  into  France,  addressed  to  the  Cardinal  of 
Ferrara. 


LX 

About  this  time  Bernardone  Baldini,^  broker  in  jewels  to 
the  Duke,  brought  a big  diamond  from  Venice,  which  weighed 
more  than  thirty-five  carats.  Antonio,  son  of  Vittorio  Landi, 
was  also  interested  in  getting  the  Duke  to  purchase  it.^  The 
stone  had  been  cut  with  a point ; but  since  it  did  not  yield 
the  purity  of  lustre  which  one  expects  in  such  a diamond, 
its  owners  had  cropped  the  point,  and,  in  truth,  it  was  not 
exactly  fit  for  either  point  or  table  cutting.^  Our  Duke,  who 

^ Varchi  and  Ammirato  both  mention  him  as  an  excellent  jeweller. 

“ Antonio  Landi  was  a Florentine  gentleman,  merchant,  and  author.  A 
comedy  of  his  called  Commodo  is  extant. 

^ Italians  distinguished  cut  diamonds  of  three  sorts : in  tavola^  a faccette^ 
and  in  pnnta.  The  word  I have  translated  cropped  is  ischericato,  which  was 
properly  applied  to  an  unfrocked  or  degraded  ecclesiastic. 


BOOK  SECOND 


359 


greatly  delighted  in  gems,  though  he  was  not  a sound  judge 
of  them,  held  out  good  hopes  to  the  rogue  Bernardaccio 
that  he  would  buy  this  stone  ; and  the  fellow,  wanting  to 
secure  for  himself  alone  the  honour  of  palming  it  off  upon 
the  Duke  of  Florence,  abstained  from  taking  his  partner 
Antonio  Landi  into  the  secret.  Now  Landi  had  been  my 
intimate  friend  from  childhood,  and  when  he  saw  that  I 
enjoyed  the  Duke’s  confidence,  he  called  me  aside  (it  was 
just  before  noon,  at  a corner  of  the  Mercato  Nuovo),  and 
spoke  as  follows : “ Benvenuto,  I am  convinced  that  the 
Duke  will  show  you  a diamond,  which  he  seems  disposed 
to  buy ; you  will  find  it  a big  stone.  Pray  assist  the  pur- 
chase ; I can  give  it  for  seventeen  thousand  crowns.  I feel 
sure  he  will  ask  your  advice  ; and  if  you  see  that  he  has  a 
mind  for  it,  we  will  contrive  that  he  secures  it.”  Antonio 
professed  great  confidence  in  being  able  to  complete  the 
bargain  for  the  jewel  at  that  price.  In  reply,  I told  him 
that  if  my  advice  was  taken,  I would  speak  according 
to  my  judgment,  without  prejudice  to  the  diamond. 

As  I have  above  related,  the  Duke  came  daily  into  our 
goldsmith’s  workshop  for  several  hours  ; and  about  a week 
after  this  conversation  with  Antonio  Landi  he  showed  me 
one  day  after  dinner  the  diamond  in  question,  which  I im- 
mediately recognised  by  its  description,  both  as  to  form 
and  weight.  I have  already  said  that  its  water  was  not 
quite  transparent,  for  which  reason  it  had  been  cropped  ; 
so,  when  I found  it  of  that  kind  and  quality,  I felt  certainly 
disinclined  to  recommend  its  acquisition.  However,  I asked 
his  Excellency  what  he  wanted  me  to  say ; because  it  was 
one  thing  for  jewellers  to  value  a stone  after  a prince  had 
bought  it,  and  another  thing  to  estimate  it  with  a view  to 
purchase.  He  replied  that  he  had  bought  it,  and  that  he 
only  wanted  my  opinion.  I did  not  choose  to  abstain  from 
hinting  what  I really  thought  about  the  stone.  Then  he 
told  me  to  observe  the  beauty  of  its  great  facets.^  I answered 
that  this  feature  of  the  diamond  was  not  so  great  a beauty 
as  his  Excellency  supposed,  but  came  from  the  point  having 
been  cropped.  At  these  words  my  prince,  who  perceived 
that  I was  speaking  the  truth,  made  a wry  face,  and  bade 
me  give  good  heed  to  valuing  the  stone,  and  saying  what  I 

^ Filetti,  the  sharp  lines  which  divide  one  facet  from  another. 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


360 

thought  it  worth.  I reckoned  that,  since  Landi  had  offered 
it  to  me  for  17,000  crowns,  the  Duke  might  have  got  it  for 
15,000  at  the  highest ; so,  noticing  that  he  would  take  it  ill 
if  I spoke  the  truth,  I made  my  mind  up  to  uphold  him 
in  his  false  opinion,  and  handing  back  the  diamond,  said  : 
“You  will  probably  have  paid  18,000  crowns.”  On  hearing 
this  the  Duke  uttered  a loud  “ Oh  ! ” opening  his  mouth  as 
wide  as  a well,  and  cried  out  : “ Now  am  I convinced  that 
you  understand  nothing  about  the  matter.”  I retorted  : 
“You  are  certainly  in  the  wrong  there,  my  lord.  Do  you 
attend  to  maintaining  the  credit  of  your  diamond,  while  I 
attend  to  understanding  my  trade.  But  pray  tell  me  at 
least  how  much  you  paid,  in  order  that  I may  learn  to  under- 
stand it  according  to  the  way  of  your  Excellency.”  The 
Duke  rose,  and,  with  a little  sort  of  angry  grin,  replied  : 
“Twenty-five  thousand  crowns  and  more,  Benvenuto,  did 
that  stone  cost  me  ! ” 

Having  thus  spoken,  he  departed.  Giovanpagolo  and 
Domenico  Poggini,  the  goldsmiths,  were  present  ; and 
Bachiacca,  the  embroiderer,  who  was  working  in  an  adjacent 
room,  ran  up  at  the  noise.^  I told  them  that  I should  never 
have  advised  the  Duke  to  purchase  it ; but  if  his  heartiwas 
set  on  having  it,  Antonio  Landi  had  offered  me  the  stone 
eight  days  ago  for  17,000  crowns.  I think  I could  have  got 
it  for  15,000  or  less.  But  the  Duke  apparently  wishes  to 
maintain  his  gem  in  credit ; for  when  Antonio  Landi  was 
willing  to  let  it  go  at  that  price,  how  the  devil  can  Bernar- 
done  have  played  off  such  a shameful  trick  upon  his 
Excellenc}^?  Never  imagining  that  the  matter  stood  pre- 
cisely as  the  Duke  averred,  we  laughingly  made  light  of  his 
supposed  credulity. 


LXI 

Meanwhile  1 was  advancing  with  my  great  statue  of 
Medusa.  I had  covered  the  iron  skeleton  with  clay,  which  I 
modelled  like  an  anatomical  subject,  and  about  half  an  inch 
thinner  than  the  bronze  would  be.  This  I baked  well,  and 

^ Antonio  Ubertini,  called  II  Bachiacca,  a brother  of  Cellini’s  friend  in 
Rome.  See  p.  52.  He  enjoyed  a gieat  reputation,  and  was  praised  by 
Varchi  in  a sonnet  for  his  mastery  of  embroidery. 


BOOK  SECOND 


361 

then  began  to  spread  on  the  wax  surface,  in  order  to  complete 
the  figure  to  my  liking.^  The  Duke,  who  often  came  to 
inspect  it,  was  so  anxious  lest  I should  not  succeed  with  the 
bronze,  that  he  wanted  me  to  call  in  some  master  to  cast  it 
for  me. 

He  was  continually  talking  in  the  highest  terms  of  my 
acquirements  and  accomplishments.  This  made  his  major- 
domo  no  less  continually  eager  to  devise  some  trap  for 
making  me  break  my  neck.  Now  his  post  at  court  gave  him 
authority  with  the  chief-constables  and  all  the  offices  in  the 
poor  unhappy  town  of  Florence.  Only  to  think  that  a fellow 
from  Prato,  our  hereditary  foeman,  the  son  of  a cooper,  and 
the  most  ignorant  creature  in  existence,  should  have  risen  to 
such  a station  of  influence,  merely  because  he  had  been  the 
rotten  tutor  of  Cosimo  de’  Medici  before  he  became  Duke ! 
Well,  as  I have  said,  he  kept  ever  on  the  watch  to  serve  me 
some  ill  turn  ; and  finding  that  he  could  not  catch  me  out  on 
any  side,  he  fell  at  last  upon  this  plan,  which  meant  mischief. 
He  betook  himself  to  Gambetta,  the  mother  of  my  apprentice 
Cencio  ; and  this  precious  pair  together — that  knave  of  a 
pedant  and  that  rogue  of  a strumpet — invented  a scheme  for 
giving  me  such  a fright  as  would  make  me  leave  Florence  in 
hot  haste.  Gambetta,  yielding  to  the  instinct  of  her  trade, 
went  out,  acting  under  the  orders  of  that  mad,  knavish 
pedant,  the  majordomo — I must  add  that  they  had  also  gained 
over  the  Bargello,  a Bolognese,  whom  the  Duke  afterwards 
dismissed  for  similar  conspiracies.  Well,  one  Saturday  even- 
ing, after  sunset,  Gambetta  came  to  my  house  with  her  son, 
and  told  me  she  had  kept  him  several  days  indoors  for  my 
welfare.  I answered  that  there  was  no  reason  to  keep  him 
shut  up  on  my  account ; and  laughing  her  whorish  arts  to 
scorn,  I turned  to  the  boy  in  her  presence,  and  said  these 
words:  “You  know,  Cencio,  whether  I have  sinned  with 
you ! ” He  began  to  shed  tears,  and  answered,  “ No  ! 
Upon  this  the  mother,  shaking  her  head,  cried  out  at  him  : 

^ This  is  an  important  passage,  which  has  not,  I think,  been  properly 
understood  by  Cellini’s  translators.  It  describes  the  process  he  now  em- 
ployed in  preparing  a mould  for  bronze-casting.  First,  it  seems,  he  made  a 
solid  clay  model,  somewhat  smaller  than  the  bronze  was  meant  to  be.  This 
he  overlaid  with  wax,  and  then  took  a hollow  mould  of  the  figure  thus 
formed.  Farther  on  we  shall  see  how  he  withdrew  the  wax  from  the  hollow 
mould,  leaving  the  solid  model  inside,  with  space  enough  between  them  for 
the  metal  to  flow  in. 


362 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


Ah  ! you  little  scoundrel  ! Do  you  think  I do  not  know  how 
these  things  happen  ? ” Then  she  turned  to  me,  and  begged 
me  to  keep  the  lad  hidden  in  my  house,  because  the  Bargello 
was  after  him,  and  would  seize  him  anywhere  outside  my 
house,  but  there  they  would  not  dare  to  touch  him.  I made 
answer  that  in  my  house  lived  my  widowed  sister  and  six  girls 
of  holy  life,  and  that  I wanted  nobody  else  there.  Upon  that 
she  related  that  the  majordomo  had  given  orders  to  the 
Bargello,  and  that  I should  certainly  be  taken  up  : only,  if  I 
would  not  harbour  her  son,  I might  square  accounts  by  paying 
her  a hundred  crowns  ; the  majordomo  was  her  crony,  and  I 
might  rest  assured  that  she  could  work  him  to  her  liking, 
provided  I paid  down  the  hundred  crowns.  This  cozenage 
goaded  me  into  such  a fury  that  I cried  : “ Out  with  you, 
shameful  strumpet ! Were  it  not  for  my  good  reputation, 
and  for  the  innocence  of  this  unhappy  boy  of  yours  here,  I 
should  long  ago  have  cut  your  throat  with  the  dagger  at  my 
side  ; and  twice  or  thrice  I have  already  clasped  my  lingers  on 
the  handle.”  With  words  to  this  effect,  and  many  ugly  blows 
to  boot,  I drove  the  woman  and  her  son  into  the  street. 


LXII 

When  I reflected  on  the  roguery  and  power  of  that  evil- 
minded  pedant,  I judged  it  best  to  give  a wide  berth  to  his 
infernal  machinations  ; so  early  next  morning  I mounted  my 
horse  and  took  the  road  for  Venice,  leaving  in  my  sister’s 
hands  jewels  and  articles  to  the  value  of  nearly  two  thousand 
crowns.  I took  with  me  my  servant  Bernardino  of  Mugello  ; 
and  when  I reached  Ferrara,  I wrote  word  to  his  Excellency 
the  Duke,  that  though  I had  gone  off  without  being  sent,  I 
should  come  back  again  without  being  called  for. 

On  arriving  at  Venice,  and  pondering  upon  the  divers  ways 
my  cruel  fortune  took  to  torment  me,  yet  at  the  same  time 
feeling  myself  none  the  less  sound  in  health  and  hearty,  I 
made  up  my  mind  to  fence  with  her  according  to  my  wont. 
While  thus  engrossed  in  thoughts  about  my  own  affairs,  I 
went  abroad  for  pastime  through  that  beautiful  and  sumptuous 
city,  and  paid  visits  to  the  admirable  painter  Titian,  and  to 
Jacopo  del  Sansovino,  our  able  sculptor  and  architect  from 
Florence.  The  latter  enjoyed  an  excellent  appointment  under 


BOOK  SECOND 


363 


the  Signoria  of  Venice  ; and  we  had  been  acquainted  during 
our  youth  in  Rome  and  Florence.  These  two  men  of  genius 
received  me  with  marked  kindness.  The  day  afterwards  I 
met  Messer  Lorenzo  de’  Medici,^  who  took  me  by  the  hand  at 
once,  giving  me  the  warmest  welcome  which  could  be  ima- 
gined, because  we  had  known  each  other  in  Florence  when 
I was  coining  for  Duke  Alessandro,  and  afterwards  in  Paris 
while  I was  in  the  King’s  service.  At  that  time  he  sojourned 
in  the  house  of  Messer  Giuliano  Buonaccorsi,  and  having  no- 
where else  to  go  for  pastime  without  the  greatest  peril  of  his 
life,  he  used  to  spend  a large  part  of  the  day  in  my  house, 
watching  me  working  at  the  great  pieces  I produced  there. 
As  I was  saying,  our  former  acquaintance  led  him  to  take  me 
by  the  hand  and  bring  me  to  his  dwelling,  where  I found  the 
Prior  degli  Strozzi,  brother  of  my  lord  Piero.  While  making 
good  cheer  together,  they  asked  me  how  long  I intended  to 
remain  in  Venice,  thinking  that  I was  on  my  return  journey 
into  France.  To  these  gentlemen  I replied  that  I had  left 
Florence  on  account  of  the  events  I have  described  above, 
and  that  I meant  to  go  back  after  two  or  three  days,  in  order 
to  resume  my  service  with  the  Duke.  On  hearing  this,  the 
Prior  and  Messer  Lorenzo  turned  round  on  me  with  such 
sternness  that  I felt  extremely  uneasy  ; then  they  said  to  me  : 
“ You  would  do  far  better  to  return  to  France,  where  you  are 
rich  and  well  known  ; for  if  you  go  back  to  Florence,  you  will 
lose  all  that  you  have  gained  in  France,  and  will  earn  nothing 
there  but  annoyances.” 

I made  no  answer  to  these  words,  and  departed  the  next 
day  as  secretly  as  I was  able,  turning  my  face  again  towards 
Florence.  In  the  meanwhile  that  infernal  plot  had  come  to  a 
head  and  broken,  for  I had  written  to  my  great  master,  the 
Duke,  giving  him  a full  account  of  the  causes  of  my  escapade 
to  Venice.  I went  to  visit  him  without  any  ceremony,  and 
was  received  with  his  usual  reserve  and  austerity.  Having 
maintained  this  attitude  awhile,  he  turned  toward  me  plea- 
santly, and  asked  where  I had  been.  I answered  that  my 
heart  had  never  moved  one  inch  from  his  most  illustrious 
Excellency,  although  some  weighty  reasons  had  forced  me  to 
go  a roaming  for  a little  while.  Then  softening  still  more  in 

^ This  is  Lorenzino  de’  Medici,  the  murderer  of  Alessandro,  who  was  him- 
self assassinated  by  two  Tuscan  bravi  in  1548.  See  Renaissance  in  Italy ^ 
vol.  vi.  chap.  6. 


364 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


manner,  he  began  to  question  me  concerning  Venice,  and  after 
this  wise  we  conversed  some  space  of  time.  At  last  he  bade 
me  apply  myself  to  business,  and  complete  his  Perseus.  So  I 
returned  home  glad  and  light-hearted,  and  comforted  my 
family,  that  is  to  say,  my  sister  and  her  six  daughters.  Then 
I resumed  my  work,  and  pushed  it  forward  as  briskly  as  I 
could. 


LXIII 

The  first  piece  I cast  in  bronze  was  that  great  bust,  the 
portrait  of  his  Excellency,  which  I had  modelled  in  the  gold- 
smith’s workroom  while  suffering  from  those  pains  in  my 
back.i  It  gave  much  pleasure  when  it  was  completed,  though 
my  sole  object  in  making  it  was  to  obtain  experience  of  clays 
suitable  for  bronze- casting.  I was  of  course  aware  that  the 
admirable  sculptor  Donatello  had  cast  his  bronzes  with  the 
clay  of  Florence  ; yet  it  seemed  to  me  that  he  had  met  with 
enormous  difficulties  in  their  execution.  As  I thought  that 
this  was  due  to  some  fault  in  the  earth,  I wanted  to  make 
these  first  experiments  before  I undertook  my  Perseus.  From 
them  I learned  that  the  clay  was  good  enough,  but  had  not 
been  well  understood  by  Donatello,  inasmuch  as  I could  see 
that  his  pieces  had  been  cast  with  the  very  greatest  trouble. 
Accordingly,  as  I have  described  above,  I prepared  the  earth 
by  artificial  methods,  and  found  it  serve  me  well,  and  with  it 
I cast  the  bust ; but  since  I had  not  yet  constructed  my  own 
furnace,  I employed  that  of  Maestro  Zanobi  di  Pagno,  a bell- 
founder. 

When  I saw  that  this  bust  came  out  sharp  and  clean,  I set 
at  once  to  construct  a little  furnace  in  the  workshop  erected 
for  me  by  the  Duke,  after  my  own  plans  and  design,  in  the 
house  which  the  Duke  had  given  me.  No  sooner  was  the 
furnace  ready  than  I went  to  work  with  all  diligence  upon 
the  casting  of  Medusa,  that  is,  the  woman  twisted  in  a heap 
beneath  the  feet  of  Perseus.  It  was  an  extremely  difficult 
task,  and  I was  anxious  to  observe  all  the  niceties  of  art 
which  I had  learned,  so  as  not  to  lapse  into  some  error. 
The  first  cast  I took  in  my  furnace  succeeded  in  the  super- 
lative degree,  and  was  so  clean  that  my  friends  thought  I 
should  not  need  to  retouch  it.  It  is  true  that  certain  Ger- 


^ Now  in  the  Museum  of  the  Bargello  Palace  at  Florence. 


BOOK  SECOND 


36s 


mans  and  Frenchmen,  who  vaunt  the  possession  of  marvellous 
secrets,  pretend  that  they  can  cast  bronzes  without  retouching 
them  ; but  this  is  really  nonsense,  because  the  bronze,  when 
it  has  first  been  cast,  ought  to  be  worked  over  and  beaten 
in  with  hammers  and  chisels,  according  to  the  manner  of 
the  ancients  and  also  to  that  of  the  moderns — I mean  such, 
moderns  as  have  known  how  to  work  in  bronze. 

The  result  of  this  casting  greatly  pleased  his  Excellency, 
who  often  came  to  my  house  to  inspect  it,  encouraging  me 
by  the  interest  he  showed  to  do  my  best.  The  furious  envy 
of  Bandinello,  however,  who  kept  always  whispering  in  the 
Duke’s  ears,  had  such  effect  that  he  made  him  believe  my 
first  successes  with  a single  figure  or  two  proved  nothing  ; I 
should  never  be  able  to  put  the  whole  large  piece  together, 
since  I was  new  to  the  craft,  and  his  Excellency  ought  to 
take  good  heed  he  did  not  throw  his  money  away.  These 
insinuations  operated  so  efficiently  upon  the  Duke’s  illustrious 
ears,  that  part  of  my  allowance  for  workpeople  was  with- 
drawn. I felt  compelled  to  complain  pretty  sharply  to  his 
Excellency  ; and  having  gone  to  wait  on  him  one  morning 
in  the  Via  de’  Servi,  I spoke  as  follows  : “ My  lord,  I do  not 
now  receive  the  monies  necessary  for  my  task,  which  makes 
me  fear  that  your  Excellency  has  lost  confidence  in  me. 
Once  more  then  I tell  you  that  I feel  quite  able  to  execute 
this  statue  three  times  better  than  the  model,  as  I have  before 
engaged  my  word.” 

LXIV 

I could  see  that  this  speech  made  no  impression  on  the 
Duke,  for  he  kept  silence  ; then,  seized  with  sudden  anger 
and  a vehement  emotion,  I began  again  to  address  him : 
“ My  lord,  this  city  of  a truth  has  ever  been  the  school  of  the 
most  noble  talents.  Yet  when  a man  has  come  to  know 
what  he  is  worth,  after  gaining  some  acquirements,  and 
wishing  to  augment  the  glory  of  his  town  and  of  his  glorious 
prince,  it  is  quite  right  that  he  should  go  and  labour  else- 
where. To  prove  the  truth  of  these  words,  I need  only  re- 
mind your  Excellency  of  Donatello  and  the  great  Lionardo 
da  Vinci  in  the  past,  and  of  our  incomparable  Michel  Angelo 
Buonarroti  in  the  present ; they  augment  the  glory  of  your 
Excellency  by  their  genius.  I in  my  turn  feel  the  same  desire 


366 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


and  hope  to  play  my  part  like  them  ; therefore,  my  lord,  give 
me  the  leave  to  go.  But  beware  of  letting  Bandinello  quit 
you  ; rather  bestow  upon  him  always  more  than  he  demands  ; 
for  if  he  goes  into  foreign  parts,  his  ignorance  is  so  presump- 
tuous that  he  is  just  the  man  to  disgrace  our  most  illustrious 
school.  Now  grant  me  my  permission,  prince  ! I ask  no 
further  reward  for  my  labours  up  to  this  time  than  the 
gracious  favour  of  your  most  illustrious  Excellency.”  When 
he  saw  the  firmness  of  my  resolution,  he  turned  with  some 
irritation  and  exclaimed  : “ Benvenuto,  if  you  want  to  finish 
the  statue,  you  shall  lack  for  nothing.”  Then  I thanked  him 
and  said  I had  no  greater  desire  than  to  show  those  envious 
folk  that  I had  it  in  me  to  execute  the  promised  work.  When 
I left  his  Excellency,  I received  some  slight  assistance  ; but 
this  not  being  sufficient,  I had  to  put  my  hand  into  my  own 
purse,  in  order  to  push  the  work  forward  at  something  better 
than  a snail’s  pace. 

It  was  my  custom  to  pass  the  evening  in  the  Duke’s 
wardrobe,  where  Domenico  Poggini  and  his  brother  Gian- 
pagolo  were  at  work  upon  that  golden  cup  for  the  Duchess 
and  the  girdle  I have  already  described.  His  Excellency 
had  also  commissioned  me  to  make  a little  model  for  a 
pendent  to  set  the  great  diamond  which  Bernardone  and 
Antonio  Landi  made  him  buy.  I tried  to  get  out  of  doing 
it,  but  the  Duke  compelled  me  by  all  sorts  of  kindly  pressure 
to  work  until  four  hours  after  nightfall.  He  kept  indeed 
enticing  me  to  push  this  job  forward  by  daytime  also  ; but 
I would  not  consent,  although  I felt  sure  I should  incur  his 
anger.  Now  one  evening  I happened  to  arrive  rather  later 
than  usual,  whereupon  he  said:  “111  come  may  you  be!”^ 
I answered  : “ My  lord,  that  is  not  my  name  ; my  name  is 
Welcome  ! But,  as  I suppose  your  Excellency  is  joking, 
I will  add  no  more.”  He  replied  that,  far  from  joking,  he 
meant  solemn  earnest.  I had  better  look  to  my  conduct, 
for  it  had  come  to  his  ears  that  I relied  upon  his  favour  to 
take  in  first  one  man  and  then  another.  I begged  his  most 
illustrious  Excellency  to  name  a single  person  whom  I had 
ever  taken  in.  At  this  he  flew  into  a rage,  and  said  : “ Go, 
and  give  back  to  Bernardone  what  you  have  of  his.  There  ! 
I have  mentioned  one.”  I said  : “ My  lord,  I thank  you. 


A play  on  Benvemito  and  Malvemdo, 


BOOK  SECOND 


3^7 


and  beg  you  to  condescend  so  far  as  to  listen  to  four 
words.  It  is  true  that  he  lent  me  a pair  of  old  scales,  two 
anvils,  and  three  little  hammers,  which  articles  I begged 
his  workman,  Giorgio  da  Cortona,  fifteen  days  ago,  to  fetch 
back.  Giorgio  came  for  them  himself.  If  your  Excellency 
can  prove,  on  referring  to  those  who  have  spoken  these 
calumnies,  or  to  others,  that  I have  ever,  from  the  day  of 
my  birth  till  now,  got  any  single  thing  by  fraud  from 
anybody,  be  it  in  Rome  or  be  it  in  France,  then  let  your 
Excellency  punish  me  as  immoderately  as  you  choose.’^ 
When  the  Duke  saw  me  in  this  mighty  passion,  he  assumed 
the  air  of  a prudent  and  benevolent  lord,  saying  : “ Those 
words  are  not  meant  for  well-doers  ; therefore,  if  it  is  as 
you  say,  I shall  always  receive  you  with  the  same  kindness 
as  heretofore.’’  To  this  I answered : “ I should  like  your 
Excellency  to  know  that  the  rascalities  of  Bernardone  compel 
me  to  ask  as  a favour  how  much  that  big  diamond  with  the 
cropped  point  cost  you.  I hope  to  prove  on  what  account 
that  scoundrel  tries  to  bring  me  into  disgrace.”  Then  his 
Excellency  replied : “I  paid  25,000  ducats  for  it ; why  do 
you  ask  me  ? ” “ Because,  my  lord,  on  such  a day,  at  such  an 

hour,  in  a corner  of  Mercato  Nuovo,  Antonio  Landi,  the  son 
of  Vittorio,  begged  me  to  induce  your  Excellency  to  buy 
it,  and  at  my  first  question  he  asked  16,000  ducats  for  the 
diamond  ; ^ now  your  Excellency  knows  what  it  has  cost 
you.  Domenico  Poggini  and  Gianpagolo  his  brother,  who 
are  present,  will  confirm  my  words  ; for  I spoke  to  them 
at  once  about  it,  and  since  that  time  have  never  once 
alluded  to  the  matter,  because  your  Excellency  told  me  I 
did  not  understand  these  things,  which  made  me  think  you 
wanted  to  keep  up  the  credit  of  your  stone.  I should  like 
you  to  know,  my  lord,  that  I do  understand,  and  that,  as 
regards  my  character,  I consider  myself  no  less  honest  than 
any  man  who  ever  lived  upon  this  earth.  I shall  not  try  to 
rob  you  of  eight  or  ten  thousand  ducats  at  one  go,  but 
shall  rather  seek  to  earn  them  by  my  industry.  I entered 
the  service  of  your  Excellency  as  sculptor,  goldsmith,  and 
stamper  of  coin  ; but  to  blab  about  my  neighbour’s  private 
matters, — never ! What  I am  now  telling  you  I say  in  self- 

^ He  forgets  that  he  has  said  above  that  it  was  offered  him  by  Landi  for 
17,000  ducats. 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


368 

defence  ; I do  not  want  my  fee  for  information.^  If  I speak 
out  in  the  presence  of  so  many  worthy  fellows  as  are  here, 
it  is  because  I do  not  wish  your  Excellency  to  believe  what 
Bernardone  tells  you.’^ 

When  he  had  heard  this  speech,  the  Duke  rose  up  in  anger, 
and  sent  for  Bernardone,  who  was  forced  to  take  flight  as  far 
as  Venice,  he  and  Antonio  Landi  with  him.  The  latter  told 
me  that  he  had  not  meant  that  diamond,  but  was  talking  of 
another  stone.  So  then  they  went  and  came  again  from 
Venice  ; whereupon  I presented  myself  to  the  Duke  and 
spoke  as  follows  : “ My  lord,  what  I told  you  is  the  truth  ; and 
what  Bernardone  said  about  the  tools  he  lent  me  is  a lie. 
You  had  better  put  this  to  the  proof,  and  I will  go  at  once  to 
the  Bargello.”  The  Duke  made  answer : “ Benvenuto,  do 
your  best  to  be  an  honest  man,  as  you  have  done  until  now  ; 
you  have  no  cause  for  apprehension.’’  So  the  whole  matter 
passed  off  in  smoke,  and  I heard  not  one  more  word  about  it. 
I applied  myself  to  finishing  his  jewel  ; and  when  I took  it  to 
the  Duchess,  her  Grace  said  that  she  esteemed  my  setting 
quite  as  highly  as  the  diamond  which  Bernardaccio  had  made 
them  buy.  She  then  desired  me  to  fasten  it  upon  her  breast, 
and  handed  me  a large  pin,  with  which  I fixed  it,  and  took  my 
leave  in  her  good  favour.^  Afterwards  I was  informed  that 
they  had  the  stone  reset  by  a German  or  some  other  foreigner 
— whether  truly  or  not  I cannot  vouch — upon  Bernardone’s 
suggestion  that  the  diamond  would  show  better  in  a less 
elaborate  setting. 


LXV 

I believe  I have  already  narrated  how  Domenico  and  Giovan- 
pagolo  Poggini,  goldsmiths  and  brothers,  were  at  work  in 
the  Duke’s  wardrobe  upon  some  little  golden  vases,  after  my 
design,  chased  with  figures  in  bas-relief,  and  other  ornaments 
of  great  distinction.  I oftentimes  kept  saying  to  his  Excel- 
lency : “ My  lord,  if  you  will  undertake  to  pay  some  work- 
people, I am  ready  to  strike  coins  for  your  mint  and  medals 
with  your  portrait.  I am  willing  to  enter  into  competition 

^ This  fee  was  il  quarto,  or  the  fourth  part  of  the  criminal’s  fine,  which 
came  to  the  delator. 

^ It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  from  this  point  onward  the  MS.  is  written  by 
Cellini  in  his  own  hand. 


Bust  uf  Cosimo  de’  Medici. 
Palazzo  del  Bargello,  Florence. 


{ 


J 


i* 


i 


'>:.L 


BOOK  SECOND 


369 


with  the  ancients,  and  feel  able  to  surpass  them  ; for  since 
those  early  days  in  which  I made  the  medals  of  Pope  Clement, 
I have  learned  so  much  that  I can  now  produce  far  better 
pieces  of  the  kind.  I think  I can  also  outdo  the  coins  I struck 
for  Duke  Alessandro,  which  are  still  held  in  high  esteem  ; in 
like  manner  I could  make  for  you  large  pieces  of  gold  and 
silver  plate,  as  I did  so  often  for  that  noble  monarch.  King 
Francis  of  France,  thanks  to  the  great  conveniences  he  allowed 
me,  without  ever  losing  time  for  the  execution  of  colossal 
statues  or  other  works  of  the  sculptor’s  craft.”  To  this  sug- 
gestion the  Duke  replied  : “Go  forward  ; I will  see  ; ” but  he 
never  supplied  me  with  conveniences  or  aid  of  any  kind. 

One  day  his  most  illustrious  Excellency  handed  me  several 
pounds  weight  of  silver,  and  said  : “ This  is  some  of  the  silver 
from  my  mines  ; ^ take  it,  and  make  a fine  vase.”  Now  I did 
not  choose  to  neglect  my  Perseus,  and  at  the  same  time  I 
wished  to  serve  the  Duke,  so  I entrusted  the  metal,  together 
with  my  designs  and  models  in  wax,  to  a rascal  called  Piero  di 
Martino,  a goldsmith  by  trade.  He  set  the  work  up  badly, 
and  moreover  ceased  to  labour  at  it,  so  that  I lost  more  time 
than  if  I had  taken  it  in  hand  myself.  After  several  months 
were  wasted,  and  Piero  would  neither  work  nor  put  men  to 
work  upon  the  piece,  I made  him  give  it  back.  I moved 
heaven  and  earth  to  get  back  the  body  of  the  vase,  which  he 
had  begun  badly,  as  I have  already  said,  together  with  the 
remainder  of  the  silver.  The  Duke,  hearing  something  of 
these  disputes,  sent  for  the  vase  and  the  models,  and  never 
told  me  why  or  wherefore.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  he  placed 
some  of  my  designs  in  the  hands  of  divers  persons  at  Venice 
and  elsewhere,  and  was  very  ill  served  by  them. 

The  Duchess  kept  urging  me  to  do  goldsmith’s  work  for 
her.  I frequently  replied  that  everybody,  nay,  all  Italy,  knew 
well  I was  an  excellent  goldsmith  ; but  Italy  had  not  yet  seen 
what  I could  do  in  sculpture.  Among  artists,  certain  enraged 
sculptors  laughed  at  me,  and  called  me  the  new  sculptor. 
“ Now  I hope  to  show  them  that  I am  an  old  sculptor,  if  God 
shall  grant  me  the  boon  of  finishing  my  Perseus  for  that  noble 
piazza  of  his  most  illustrious  Excellency.”  After  this  I shut 
myself  up  at  home,  working  day  and  night,  not  even  showing 
my  face  in  the  palace.  I wished,  however,  to  keep  myself  in 

^ Cosimo’s  silver  mines  were  at  Campiglia  and  Pietrasantra.  He  worked 
them,  however,  rather  at  a loss  than  profit. 


2 A 


370 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


favour  with  the  Duchess  ; so  I got  some  little  cups  made  for 
her  in  silver,  no  larger  than  twopenny  milk-pots,  chased  with 
exquisite  masks  in  the  rarest  antique  style.  When  I took  them 
to  her  Excellency,  she  received  me  most  graciously,  and 
repaid  the  gold  and  silver  I had  spent  upon  them.  Then  I 
made  my  suit  to  her  and  prayed  her  tell  the  Duke  that  I was 
getting  small  assistance  for  so  great  a work  ; I begged  her  also 
to  warn  him  not  to  lend  so  ready  an  ear  to  Bandinello’s  evil 
tongue,  which  hindered  me  from  finishing  my  Perseus.  In 
reply  to  these  lamentable  complaints  the  Duchess  shrugged 
her  shoulders  and  exclaimed  : “ Of  a surety  the  Duke  ought 
only  too  well  to  know  that  this  Bandinello  of  his  is  worth 
nothing.” 


LXVI 

I now  stayed  at  home,  and  went  rarely  to  the  palace, 
labouring  with  great  diligence  to  complete  my  statue.  I 
had  to  pay  the  workmen  out  of  my  own  pocket ; for  the 
Duke,  after  giving  Lattanzio  Gorini  orders  to  discharge 
their  wages,  at  the  end  of  about  eighteen  months,  grew 
tired,  and  withdrew  this  subsidy.  I asked  Lattanzio  why 
he  did  not  pay  me  as  usual.  The  man  replied,  gesticulating 
with  those  spidery  hands  of  his,  in  a shrill  gnaPs  voice  : 
“Why  do  not  you  linish  your  work?  One  thinks  that  you 
will  never  get  it  done.”  In  a rage  I up  and  answered  : 
“ May  the  plague  catch  you  and  all  who  dare  to  think  I 
shall  not  finish  it ! ” 

So  I went  home  with  despair  at  heart  to  m^^  unlucky 
Perseus,  not  without  weeping,  when  I remembered  the  pros- 
perity I had  abandoned  in  Paris  under  the  patronage  of  that 
marvellous  King  Francis,  where  I had  abundance  of  all  kinds, 
and  here  had  everything  to  want  for.  Many  a time  I had  it 
in  my  soul  to  cast  myself  away  for  lost.  One  day  on  one  of 
these  occasions,  I mounted  a nice  nag  I had,  put  a hundred 
crowns  in  my  purse,  and  went  to  Fiesole  to  visit  a natural 
son  of  mine  there,  who  was  at  nurse  with  my  gossip,  the 
wife  of  one  of  my  workpeople.  When  I reached  the  house, 
I found  the  boy  in  good  health,  and  kissed  him,  very  sad  at 
heart.  On  taking  leave,  he  would  not  let  me  go,  but  held 
me  with  his  little  hands  and  a tempest  of  cries  and  tears. 
Considering  that  he  was  only  two  years  old  or  thereabouts, 


BOOK  SECOND 


371 


the  child’s  grief  was  something  wonderful.  Now  I had  re- 
solved, in  the  heat  of  my  despair,  if  I met  Bandinello,  who 
went  every  evening  to  a farm  of  his  above  San  Domenico, 
that  I would  hurl  him  to  destruction  ; so  I disengaged  my- 
self from  my  baby,  and  left  the  boy  there  sobbing  his  heart 
out.  Taking  the  road  toward  Florence,  just  when  I entered 
the  piazza  of  San  Domenico,  Bandinello  was  arriving  from 
the  other  side.  On  the  instant  I decided  upon  bloodshed  ; 
but  when  I reached  the  man  and  raised  my  eyes,  I saw  him 
unarmed,  riding  a sorry  mule  or  rather  donkey,  and  he  had 
with  him  a boy  of  ten  years  old.  No  sooner  did  he  catch 
sight  of  me  than  he  turned  the  colour  of  a corpse,  and 
trembled  from  head  to  foot.  Perceiving  at  once  how  base 
the  business  would  be,  I exclaimed  : “ Fear  not,  vile  coward  ! 
I do  not  condescend  to  smite  you.”  He  looked  at  me  sub- 
missively and  said  nothing.  Thereupon  I recovered  com- 
mand of  my  faculties,  and  thanked  God  that  His  goodness 
had  withheld  me  from  so  great  an  act  of  violence.  Then, 
being  delivered  from  that  fiendish  fury,  my  spirits  rose,  and 
I said  to  myself : “If  God  but  grant  me  to  execute  my 
work,  I hope  by  its  means  to  annihilate  all  my  scoundrelly 
enemies ; and  thus  I shall  perform  far  greater  and  more 
glorious  revenges  than  if  I had  vented  my  rage  upon  one 
single  foe.”  Having  this  excellent  resolve  in  heart,  I reached 
my  home.  At  the  end  of  three  days  news  was  brought  me 
that  my  only  son  had  been  smothered  by  his  nurse,  my 
gossip,  which  gave  me  greater  grief  than  I have  ever  had  in 
my  whole  life.  However,  I knelt  upon  the  ground,  and,  not 
without  tears,  returned  thanks  to  God,  as  I was  wont,  ex- 
claiming, “Lord,  Thou  gavest  me  the  child,  and  Thou  hast 
taken  him  ; for  all  Thy  dealings  I thank  Thee  with  my  whole 
heart.”  This  great  sorrow  went  nigh  to  depriving  me  of 
reason ; yet,  according  to  my  habit,  I made  a virtue  of 
necessity,  and  adapted  myself  to  circumstances  as  well  as  I 
was  able. 


LXVII 

About  this  time  a young  fellow  called  Francesco,  the 
son  of  a smith,  Matteo,  left  Bandinello’s  employment,  and 
inquired  whether  I would  give  him  work.  I agreed,  and 
sent  him  to  retouch  my  Medusa,  which  had  been  new  cast 


372 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


in  bronze.  After  a fortnight  he  mentioned  that  he  had 
been  speaking  with  his  master,  that  is,  Bandinello,  who 
told  him,  if  I cared  to  make  a marble  statue,  he  would  give 
me  a fine  block  of  stone.  I replied  at  once:  “Tell  him 
I accept  his  offer ; perhaps  this  marble  will  prove  a 
stumbling-block  to  him,  for  he  keeps  on  provoking  me, 
and  does  not  bear  in  mind  the  great  peril  he  ran  upon 
the  piazza  of  San  Domenico.  Tell  him  I will  have  the  marble 
by  all  means.  I never  speak  about  him,  and  the  beast  is 
perpetually  causing  me  annoyance.  I verily  believe  you 
came  to  work  here  at  his  orders  for  the  mere  purpose  of 
spying  upon  me.  Go,  then,  and  tell  him  I insist  on  having 
the  marble,  even  against  his  will  : see  that  you  do  not  come 
back  without  it.^^ 


LXVIII 

Many  days  had  elapsed  during  which  I had  not  shown  my 
face  in  the  palace,  when  the  fancy  took  me  to  go  there 
one  morning  just  as  the  Duke  was  finishing  his  dinner.  From 
what  I heard,  his  Excellency  had  been  talking  of  me  that 
morning,  commending  me  highly,  and  in  particular  praising 
my  skill  in  setting  jewels.  Therefore,  when  the  Duchess 
saw  me,  she  called  for  me  by  Messer  Sforza  ; ^ and  on  my 
presenting  myself  to  her  most  illustrious  Excellency,  she 
asked  me  to  set  a little  point-diamond  in  a ring,  saying  she 
wished  always  to  wear  it ; at  the  same  time  she  gave  me 
the  measure  and  the  stone,  which  was  worth  about  a hundred 
crowns,  begging  me  to  be  quick  about  the  work.  Upon 
this  the  Duke  began  speaking  to  the  Duchess,  and  said  : 
“ There  is  no  doubt  that  Benvenuto  was  formerly  without 
his  peer  in  this  art ; but  now  that  he  has  abandoned  it,  I 
believe  it  will  be  too  much  trouble  for  him  to  make  a little 
ring  of  the  sort  you  want.  I pray  you,  therefore,  not  to 
importune  him  about  this  trifle,  which  would  be  no  trifle 
to  him  owing  to  his  want  of  practice.^^  I thanked  the  Duke 
for  his  kind  words,  but  begged  him  to  let  me  render  this 
trifling  service  to  the  Duchess.  Then  I took  the  ring  in 
hand,  and  finished  it  within  a few  days.  It  was  meant  for 
the  little  finger  ; accordingly  I fashioned  four  tiny  children 

^ Sforza  Almeni,  a Perugian  gentleman,  the  Duke’s  chamberlain.  Cosimo 
killed  this  man  with  his  own  hand  in  the  year  1566. 


BOOK  SECOND 


373 


in  the  round  and  four  masks,  which  figures  composed  the 
hoop.  I also  found  room  for  some  enamelled  fruits  and 
connecting  links,  so  that  the  stone  and  setting  went  un- 
commonly well  together.  Then  I took  it  to  the  Duchess, 
who  told  me  graciously  that  I had  produced  a very  fine  piece, 
and  that  she  would  remember  me.  She  afterwards  sent 
the  ring  as  a present  to  King  Philip,  and  from  that  time 
forward  kept  charging  me  with  commissions,  so  kindly, 
however,  that  I did  my  best  to  serve  her,  although  I saw 
but  very  little  of  her  money.  God  knows  I had  great  need 
of  that,  for  I was  eager  to  finish  my  Perseus,  and  had 
engaged  some  journeymen,  whom  I paid  out  of  my  own 
purse.  I now  began  to  show  myself  more  often  than  I had 
recently  been  doing. 


LXIX 

It  happened  on  one  feast-day  that  I went  to  the  palace  after 
dinner,  and  when  I reached  the  clockroom,  I saw  the  door 
of  the  wardrobe  standing  open.  As  I drew  nigh  it,  the  Duke 
called  me,  and  after  a friendly  greeting  said:  “You  are 
welcome  ! Look  at  that  box  which  has  been  sent  me  by  my 
lord  Stefano  of  Palestrina.^  Open  it,  and  let  us  see  what  it 
contains.’’  When  I had  opened  the  box,  I cried  to  the  Duke  : 
“ My  lord,  this  is  a statue  in  Greek  marble,  and  it  is  a miracle 
of  beauty.  I must  say  that  I have  never  seen  a boy’s  figure 
so  excellently  wrought  and  in  so  fine  a style  among  all  the 
antiques  I have  inspected.  If  your  Excellency  permits,  I 
should  like  to  restore  it — head  and  arms  and  feet.  I will  add 
an  eagle,  in  order  that  we  may  christen  the  lad  Ganymede. 
It  is  certainly  not  my  business  to  patch  up  statues,  that  being 
the  trade  of  botchers,  who  do  it  in  all  conscience  villainously 
ill ; yet  the  art  displayed  by  this  great  master  of  antiquity 
cries  out  to  me  to  help  him.”  The  Duke  was  highly  delighted 
to  find  the  statue  so  beautiful,  and  put  me  a multitude  of 
questions,  saying:  “Tell  me,  Benvenuto,  minutely,  in  what 
consists  the  skill  of  this  old  master,  which  so  excites  your 
admiration.”  I then  attempted,  as  well  as  I was  able,  to 
explain  the  beauty  of  workmanship,  the  consummate  science, 

^ Stefano  Colonna,  of  the  princely  house  of  Palestrina.  He  was  a general 
of  considerable  repute  in  the  Spanish,  French,  and  Florentine  services  suc- 
cessively. 


374 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


and  the  rare  manner  displayed  by  the  fragment.  I spoke 
long  upon  these  topics,  and  with  the  greater  pleasure  because 
I saw  that  his  Excellency  was  deeply  interested. 


LXX 

While  I was  thus  pleasantly  engaged  in  entertaining  the 
Duke,  a page  happened  to  leave  the  wardrobe,  and  at  the 
same  moment  Bandinello  entered.  When  the  Duke  saw 
him,  his  countenance  contracted,  and  he  asked  him  drily  : 
“What  are  you  about  here?’’  Bandinello,  without  answer- 
ing, cast  a glance  upon  the  box,  where  the  statue  lay  un- 
covered. Then  breaking  into  one  of  his  malignant  laughs 
and  wagging  his  head,  he  turned  to  the  Duke  and  said  : “ My 
lord,  this  exactly  illustrates  the  truth  of  what  I have  so  often 
told  your  Excellency.  You  must  know  that  the  ancients  were 
wholly  ignorant  of  anatomy,  and  therefore  their  works 
abound  in  mistakes.”  I kept  silence,  and  paid  no  heed  to 
what  he  was  saying  ; nay,  indeed,  I had  turned  my  back  on 
him.  But  when  the  brute  had  brought  his  disagreeable 
babble  to  an  end,  the  Duke  exclaimed  : “ O Benvenuto,  this 
is  the  exact  opposite  of  what  you  were  just  now  demon- 
strating with  so  many  excellent  arguments.  Come  and  speak 
a word  in  defence  of  the  statue.”  In  reply  to  this  appeal,  so 
kindly  made  me  by  the  Duke,  I spoke  as  follows  : “ My  lord, 
your  most  illustrious  Excellency  must  please  to  know  that 
Baccio  Bandinello  is  made  up  of  everything  bad,  and  thus  has 
he  ever  been  ; therefore,  whatever  he  looks  at,  be  the  thing 
superlatively  excellent,  becomes  in  his  ungracious  eyes  as  bad 
as  can  be.  I,  who  incline  to  the  good  only,  discern  the  truth 
with  purer  senses.  Consequently,  what  I told  your  Excel- 
lency about  this  lovely  statue  is  mere  simple  truth  ; whereas 
what  Bandinello  said  is  but  a portion  of  the  evil  out  of  which 
he  is  composed.”  The  Duke  listened  with  much  amuse- 
ment ; but  Bandinello  writhed  and  made  the  most  ugly  faces 
— his  face  itself  being  by  nature  hideous  beyond  measure — 
which  could  be  imagined  by  the  mind  of  man. 

The  Duke  at  this  point  moved  away,  and  proceeded 
through  some  ground-floor  rooms,  while  Bandinello  followed. 
The  chamberlains  twitched  me  by  the  mantle,  and  sent  me 
after  ; so  we  all  attended  the  Duke  until  he  reached  a certain 


BOOK  SECOND 


375 


chamber,  where  he  seated  himself,  with  Bandinello  and 
me  standing  at  his  right  hand  and  his  left.  I kept  silence, 
and  the  gentlemen  of  his  Excellency’s  suite  looked  hard  at 
Bandinello,  tittering  among  themselves  about  the  speech  I 
had  made  in  the  room  above.  So  then  Bandinello  began 
again  to  chatter,  and  cried  out : Prince,  when  I uncovered 
my  Hercules  and  Cacus,  I verily  believe  a hundred  sonnets 
were  written  on  me,  full  of  the  worst  abuse  which  could  be 
invented  by  the  ignorant  rabble.”  ^ I rejoined  : “ Prince, 
when  Michel  Agnolo  Buonarroti  displayed  his  Sacristy  to 
view,  with  so  many  fine  statues  in  it,  the  men  of  talent  in  our 
admirable  school  of  Florence,  always  appreciative  of  truth 
and  goodness,  published  more  than  a hundred  sonnets,  each 
vying  with  his  neighbour  to  extol  these  masterpieces  to  the 
skies.^  So  then,  just  as  Bandinello’s  work  deserved  all  the 
evil  which,  he  tells  us,  was  then  said  about  it,  Buonarroti’s 
deserved  the  enthusiastic  praise  which  was  bestowed  upon 
it.”  These  words  of  mine  made  Bandinello  burst  with  fury  ; 
he  turned  on  me,  and  cried  : “ And  you,  what  have  you  got 
to  say  against  my  work ? ” “I  will  tell  you  if  you  have  the 
patience  to  hear  me  out.”  “Go  along  then,”  he  replied. 
The  Duke  and  his  attendants  prepared  themselves  to  listen. 
I began  and  opened  my  oration  thus  : “You  must  know  that 
it  pains  me  to  point  out  the  faults  of  your  statue  ; I shall  not, 
however,  utter  my  own  sentiments,  but  shall  recapitulate  what 
our  most  virtuous  school  of  Florence  says  about  it.”  The 
brutal  fellow  kept  making  disagreeable  remarks  and  gesticu- 
lating with  his  hands  and  feet,  until  he  enraged  me  so  that 
I began  again,  and  spoke  far  more  rudely  than  I should  other- 
wise have  done,  if  he  had  behaved  with  decency.  “Well, 
then,  this  virtuous  school  says  that  if  one  were  to  shave  the 
hair  of  your  Hercules,  there  would  not  be  skull  enough  left 
to  hold  his  brain  ; it  says  that  it  is  impossible  to  distinguish 
whether  his  features  are  those  of  a man  or  of  something 
between  a lion  and  an  ox  ; the  face  too  is  turned  away  from 

^ Vasari  confirms  this  statement.  The  statue,  which  may  still  be  seen  upon 
the  great  piazza,  is,  in  truth,  a very  poor  performance.  The  Florentines  were 
angry  because  Bandinello  had  filched  the  commission  away  from  Michel 
Angelo.  It  was  uncovered  in  i534j  and  Duke  Alessandro  had  to  imprison 
its  lampooners. 

^ Cellini  alludes  of  course  to  the  Sacristy  of  S.  Lorenzo,  designed  by  Michel 
Angelo,  with  the  portraits  of  the  Medici  and  statues  of  Day,  Night,  Dawnj 
and  Twilight. 


376 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


the  action  of  the  ligure,  and  is  so  badly  set  upon  the  neck, 
with  such  poverty  of  art  and  so  ill  a grace,  that  nothing  worse 
was  ever  seen  ; his  sprawling  shoulders  are  like  the  two  pom- 
mels of  an  ass’s  pack-saddle  ; his  breasts  and  all  the  muscles 
of  the  body  are  not  portrayed  from  a man,  but  from  a big  sack 
full  of  melons  set  upright  against  a wall.  The  loins  seem  to 
be  modelled  from  a bag  of  lanky  pumpkins  ; nobody  can  tell 
how  his  two  legs  are  attached  to  that  vile  trunk  ; it  is  im- 
possible to  say  on  which  leg  he  stands,  or  which  he  uses  to 
exert  his  strength  ; nor  does  he  seem  to  be  resting  upon  both, 
as  sculptors  who  know  something  of  their  art  have  occasion- 
ally set  the  figure.  It  is  obvious  that  the  body  is  leaning 
forward  more  than  one-third  of  a cubit,  which  alone  is  the 
greatest  and  most  insupportable  fault  committed  by  vulgar 
commonplace  pretenders.  Concerning  the  arms,  they  say 
that  these  are  both  stretched  out  without  one  touch  of  grace 
or  one  real  spark  of  artistic  talents  just  as  if  you  had  never 
seen  a naked  model.  Again,  the  right  leg  of  Hercules  and 
that  of  Cacus  have  got  one  mass  of  flesh  between  them,  so 
that  if  they  were  to  be  separated,  not  only  one  of  them,  but 
both  together,  would  be  left  without  a calf  at  the  point  where 
they  are  touching.  They  say,  too,  that  Hercules  has  one  of 
his  feet  underground,  while  the  other  seems  to  be  resting  on 
hot  coals.” 


LXXI 

The  fellow  could  not  stand  quiet  to  hear  the  damning  errors 
of  his  Cacus  in  their  turn  enumerated.  For  one  thing,  I was 
telling  the  truth  ; for  another,  I was  unmasking  him  to  the 
Duke  and  all  the  people  present,  Vt^ho  showed  by  face  and 
gesture  first  their  surprise,  and  next  their  conviction  that 
what  I said  was  true.  All  at  once  he  burst  out : “ Ah,  you 
slanderous  tongue  ! why  don’t  you  speak  about  my  design  ? ” 
I retorted  : “A  good  draughtsman  can  never  produce  bad 
works  ; therefore  I am  inclined  to  believe  that  your  drawing 
is  no  better  than  your  statues.”  When  he  saw  the  amused 
expression  on  the  Duke’s  face  and  the  cutting  gestures  of  the 
bystanders,  he  let  his  insolence  get  the  better  of  him,  and 
turned  to  me  with  that  most  hideous  face  of  his,  screaming 
aloud  : “ Oh,  hold  your  tongue,  you  ugly  . . . ” ^ At  these 

^ Oh  sta  cheto,  soddomitaccio. 


BOOK  SECOND 


377 


words  the  Duke  frowned,  and  the  others  pursed  their  lips 
up  and  looked  with  knitted  brows  toward  him.  The  horrible 
affront  half  maddened  me  with  fury ; but  in  a moment  I re- 
covered presence  of  mind  enough  to  turn  it  off  with  a jest : 
“You  madman!  you  exceed  the  bounds  of  decency.  Yet 
would  to  God  that  I understood  so  noble  an  art  as  you  allude 
to  ; they  say  that  Jove  used  it  with  Ganymede  in  paradise,  and 
here  upon  this  earth  it  is  practised  by  some  of  the  greatest 
emperors  and  kings.  I,  however,  am  but  a poor  humble 
creature,  who  neither  have  the  power  nor  the  intelligence 
to  perplex  my  wits  with  anything  so  admirable.”  When  I 
had  finished  this  speech,  the  Duke  and  his  attendants  could 
control  themselves  no  longer,  but  broke  into  such  shouts  of 
laughter  that  one  never  heard  the  like.  You  must  know, 
gentle  readers,  that  though  I put  on  this  appearance  of  plea- 
santry, my  heart  was  bursting  in  my  body  to  think  that  a 
fellow,  the  foulest  villain  who  ever  breathed,  should  have 
dared  in  the  presence  of  so  great  a prince  to  cast  an  insult 
of  that  atrocious  nature  in  my  teeth  ; but  you  must  also  know 
that  he  insulted  the  Duke,  and  not  me  ; for  had  I not  stood  in 
that  august  presence,  I should  have  felled  him  dead  to  earth. 
When  the  dirty  stupid  scoundrel  observed  that  those  gentle- 
men kept  on  laughing,  he  tried  to  change  the  subject,  and 
divert  them  from  deriding  him  ; so  he  began  as  follows  : 
“This  fellow  Benvenuto  goes  about  boasting  that  I have 
promised  him  a piece  of  marble.”  I took  him  up  at  once. 
“What!  did  you  not  send  to  tell  me  by  your  journeyman, 
Francesco,  that  if  I wished  to  work  in  marble  you  would 
give  me  a block  ? I accepted  it,  and  mean  to  have  it.”  He 
retorted  : “Be  very  well  assured  that  you  will  never  get  it.” 
Still  smarting  as  I was  under  the  calumnious  insults  he  had 
flung  at  me,  I lost  my  self-control,  forgot  I was  in  the  presence 
of  the  Duke,  and  called  out  in  a storm  of  fury : “I  swear  to 
you  that  if  you  do  not  send  the  marble  to  my  house,  you  had 
better  look  out  for  another  world,  for  if  you  stay  upon  this 
earth  I will  most  certainly  rip  the  wind  out  of  your  carcass.”  ^ 
Then  suddenly  awaking  to  the  fact  that  I was  standing  in 
the  presence  of  so  great  a duke,  I turned  submissively 
to  his  Excellency  and  said  : “ My  lord,  one  fool  makes  a 
hundred  ; the  follies  of  this  man  have  blinded  me  for  a 


^ In  questo  (mondo)  ti  sgonfierS  a ogni  modo. 


378 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


moment  to  the  glory  of  your  most  illustrious  Excellency  and 
to  myself.  I humbly  crave  your  pardon.”  Then  the  Duke 
said  to  Bandinello  : “ Is  it  true  that  you  promised  him  the 
marble  ? ” He  replied  that  it  was  true.  Upon  this  the  Duke 
addressed  me  : “ Go  to  the  Opera,  and  choose  a piece  accord- 
ing to  your  taste.”  I demurred  that  the  man  had  promised 
to  send  it  home  to  me.  The  words  that  passed  between  us 
were  awful,  and  I refused  to  take  the  stone  in  any  other  way. 
Next  morning  a piece  of  marble  was  brought  to  my  house. 
On  asking  who  had  sent  it,  they  told  me  it  was  Bandinello, 
and  that  this  was  the  very  block  which  he  had  promised.^ 


LXXII 

I had  it  brought  at  once  into  my  studio,  and  began  to 
chisel  it.  While  I was  rough-hewing  the  block,  I made  a 
model.  But  my  eagerness  to  work  in  marble  was  so  strong, 
that  I had  not  patience  to  finish  the  model  as  correctly  as 
this  art  demands.  I soon  noticed  that  the  stone  rang  false 
beneath  my  strokes,  which  made  me  oftentimes  repent  com- 
mencing on  it.  Yet  I got  what  I could  out  of  the  piece — 
that  is,  the  Apollo  and  Hyacinth,  which  may  still  be  i seen 
unfinished  in  my  workshop.  While  I was  thus  engaged,  the 
Duke  came  to  my  house,  and  often  said  to  me  : “ Leave  your 
bronze  awhile,  and  let  me  watch  you  working  on  the  marble.” 
Then  I took  chisel  and  mallet,  and  went  at  it  blithely.  He 
asked  about  the  model  I had  made  for  my  statue  ; to  which 
I answered  : “ Duke,  this  marble  is  all  cracked,  but  I shall 
carve  something  from  it  in  spite  of  that ; therefore  I have  not 
been  able  to  settle  the  model,  but  shall  go  on  doing  the  best 
I can.” 

His  Excellency  sent  to  Rome  post-haste  for  a block  of 
Greek  marble,  in  order  that  I might  restore  his  antique 
Ganymede,  which  was  the  cause  of  that  dispute  with  Ban- 
dinello. When  it  arrived,  I thought  it  a sin  to  cut  it  up  for 

^ Vasari,  in  his  Life  of  Bandinello^  gives  a curious  confirmation  of  Cellini’s 
veracity  by  reporting  this  quarrel,  with  some  of  the  speeches  which  passed 
between  the  two  rival  artists.  Yet  he  had  not  read  Cellini’s  Memoirs^  and 
was  far  from  partial  to  the  man.  Comparing  Vasari’s  with  Cellini’s  account, 
we  only  notice  that  the  latter  has  made  Bandinello  play  a less  witty  part  in  the 
wordy  strife  than  the  former  assigned  him. 


BOOK  SECOND 


379 


the  head  and  arms  and  other  bits  wanting  in  the  Ganymede  ; 
so  I provided  myself  with  another  piece  of  stone,  and  reserved 
the  Greek  marble  for  a Narcissus  which  I modelled  on  a small 
scale  in  wax.  I found  that  the  block  had  two  holes,  pene- 
trating to  the  depth  of  a quarter  of  a cubit,  and  two  good 
inches  wide.  This  led  me  to  choose  the  attitude  which  may 
be  noticed  in  my  statue,  avoiding  the  holes  and  keeping  my 
figure  free  from  them.  But  rain  had  fallen  scores  of  years 
upon  the  stone,  filtering  so  deeply  from  the  holes  into  its 
substance  that  the  marble  was  decayed.  Of  this  I had  full 
proof  at  the  time  of  a great  inundation  of  the  Arno,  when 
the  river  rose  to  the  height  of  more  than  a cubit  and  a half 
in  my  workshop.^  Now  the  Narcissus  stood  upon  a square 
of  wood,  and  the  water  overturned  it,  causing  the  statue  to 
break  in  two  above  the  breasts.  I had  to  join  the  pieces  ; 
and  in  order  that  the  line  of  breakage  might  not  be  ob- 
served, I wreathed  that  garland  of  flowers  round  it  which 
may  still  be  seen  upon  the  bosom.  I went  on  working  at 
the  surface,  employing  some  hours  before  sunrise,  or  now 
and  then  on  feast-days,  so  as  not  to  lose  the  time  I needed 
for  my  Perseus. 

It  so  happened  on  one  of  those  mornings,  while  I was 
getting  some  little  chisels  into  trim  to  work  on  the  Narcissus, 
that  a very  fine  splinter  of  steel  flew  into  my  right  eye,  and 
embedded  itself  so  deeply  in  the  pupil  that  it  could  not  be 
extracted.  I thought  for  certain  I must  lose  the  sight  of  that 
eye.  After  some  days  I sent  for  Maestro  Raffaello  d^  Pilli, 
the  surgeon,  who  obtained  a couple  of  live  pigeons,  and 
placing  me  upon  my  back  across  a table,  took  the  birds  and 
opened  a large  vein  they  have  beneath  the  wing,  so  that  the 
blood  gushed  out  into  my  eye.  I felt  immediately  relieved, 
and  in  the  space  of  two  days  the  splinter  came  away,  and  I 
remained  with  eyesight  greatly  improved.  Against  the  feast 
of  S.  Lucia,2  which  came  round  in  three  days,  I made  a golden 
eye  out  of  a French  crown,  and  had  it  presented  at  her  shrine 
by  one  of  my  six  nieces,  daughters  of  my  sister  Liperata  ; the 
girl  was  ten  years  of  age,  and  in  her  company  I returned 
thanks  to  God  and  S.  Lucia.  For  some  while  afterwards 
I did  not  work  at  the  Narcissus,  but  pushed  my  Perseus 

^ Cellini  alludes  to  a celebrated  inundation  of  the  year  1 547. 

2 S.  Lucy,  I need  hardly  remark,  is  the  patroness  of  the  eyes.  In  Italian 
art  she  is  generally  represented  holding  her  own  eyes  upon  a plate. 


38o 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


forward  under  all  the  difficulties  I have  described.  It 
was  my  purpose  to  finish  it,  and  then  to  bid  farewell  to 
Florence. 


LXXIII 

Having  succeeded  so  well  with  the  cast  of  the  Medusa,  I 
had  great  hope  of  bringing  my  Perseus  through  ; for  I had 
laid  the  wax  on,  and  felt  confident  that  it  would  come  out  in 
bronze  as  perfectly  as  the  Medusa.  The  waxen  model  pro- 
duced so  fine  an  effect,  that  when  the  Duke  saw  it  and  was 
struck  with  its  beauty — whether  somebody  had  persuaded 
him  it  could  not  be  carried  out  with  the  same  finish  in 
metal,  or  whether  he  thought  so  for  himself — he  came  to 
visit  me  more  frequently  than  usual,  and  on  one  occasion 
said : “ Benvenuto,  this  figure  cannot  succeed  in  bronze  ; 
the  laws  of  art  do  not  admit  of  it.’’  These  words  of  his 
Excellency  stung  me  so  sharply  that  I answered  : “ My  lord, 
I know  how  very  little  confidence  you  have  in  me  ; and  I 
believe  the  reason  of  this  is  that  your  most  illustrious  Excel- 
lency lends  too  ready  an  ear  to  my  calumniators,  or  else 
indeed  that  you  do  not  understand  my  art.”  He  hardly  let 
me  close  the  sentence  when  he  broke  in  ; “I  profess  myself 
a connoisseur,  and  understand  it  very  well  indeed.”  I re- 
plied : “Yes,  like  a prince,  not  like  an  artist;  for  if  your 
Excellency  understood  my  trade  as  well  as  you  imagine,  you 
would  trust  me  on  the  proofs  I have  already  given.  These 
are,  first,  the  colossal  bronze  bust  of  your  Excellency,  which 
is  now  in  Elba  ; ^ secondly,  the  restoration  of  the  Ganymede 
in  marble,  which  offered  so  many  difficulties  and  cost  me  so 
much  trouble,  that  I would  rather  have  made  the  whole 
statue  new  from  the  beginning  ; thirdly,  the  Medusa,  cast  by 
me  in  bronze,  here  now  before  your  Excellency’s  eyes,  the 
execution  of  which  was  a greater  triumph  of  strength  and 
skill  than  any  of  my  predecessors  in  this  fiendish  art  have 
yet  achieved.  Look  you,  my  lord ! I constructed  that 
furnace  anew  on  principles  quite  different  from  those  of 
other  founders  ; in  addition  to  many  technical  improvements 
and  ingenious  devices,  I supplied  it  with  two  issues  for  the 
metal,  because  this  difficult  and  twisted  figure  could  not 


^ At  Portoferraio.  It  came  afterwards  to  Florence. 


BOOK  SECOND 


381 


otherwise  have  come  out  perfect.  It  is  only  owing  to  my 
intelligent  insight  into  means  and  appliances  that  the  statue 
turned  out  as  it  did  ; a triumph  judged  impossible  by  all  the 
practitioners  of  this  art.  I should  like  you  furthermore  to 
be  aware,  my  lord,  for  certain,  that  the  sole  reason  why  I 
succeeded  with  all  those  great  and  arduous  works  in  France 
under  his  most  admirable  Majesty  King  Francis,  was  the  high 
courage  which  that  good  monarch  put  into  my  heart  by  the 
liberal  allowances  he  made  me,  and  the  multitude  of  work- 
people he  left  at  my  disposal.  I could  have  as  many  as  I 
asked  for,  and  employed  at  times  above  forty,  all  chosen  by 
myself.  These  were  the  causes  of  my  having  there  produced 
so  many  masterpieces  in  so  short  a space  of  time.  Now  then, 
my  lord,  put  trust  in  me  ; supply  me  with  the  aid  I need. 
I am  confident  of  being  able  to  complete  a work  which 
will  delight  your  soul.  But  if  your  Excellency  goes  on  dis- 
heartening me,  and  does  not  advance  me  the  assistance  which 
is  absolutely  required,  neither  I nor  any  man  alive  upon  this 
earth  can  hope  to  achieve  the  slightest  thing  of  value.” 


LXXIV 

It  was  as  much  as  the  Duke  could  do  to  stand  by  and  listen 
to  my  pleadings.  He  kept  turning  first  this  way  and  then 
that ; while  I,  in  despair,  poor  wretched  I,  was  calling  up 
remembrance  of  the  noble  state  I held  in  France,  to  the  great 
sorrow  of  my  soul.  All  at  once  he  cried  : “ Come,  tell  me, 
Benvenuto,  how  is  it  possible  that  yonder  splendid  head  of 
Medusa,  so  high  up  there  in  the  grasp  of  Perseus,  should  ever 
come  out  perfect  ? ” I replied  upon  the  instant : “ Look  you 
now,  my  lord  ! If  your  Excellency  possessed  that  knowledge 
of  the  craft  which  you  affirm  you  have,  you  would  not  fear 
one  moment  for  the  splendid  head  you  speak  of.  There  is 
good  reason,  on  the  other  hand,  to  feel  uneasy  about  this  right 
foot,  so  far  below  and  at  a distance  from  the  rest.”  When  he 
heard  these  words,  the  Duke  turned,  half  in  anger,  to  some 
gentlemen  in  waiting,  and  exclaimed  : “ I verily  believe  that 
this  Benvenuto  prides  himself  on  contradicting  everything 
one  says.”  Then  he  faced  round  to  me  with  a touch  of 
mockery,  upon  which  his  attendants  did  the  like,  and  began 
to  speak  as  follows  : “ I will  listen  patiently  to  any  argument 


382 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


you  can  possibly  produce  in  explanation  of  your  statement, 
which  may  convince  me  of  its  probability.”  I said  in  answer  : 
“ I will  adduce  so  sound  an  argument  that  your  Excellency 
shall  perceive  the  full  force  of  it.”  So  I began  : “ You  must 
know,  my  lord,  that  the  nature  of  fire  is  to  ascend,  and  there- 
fore I promise  you  that  Medusa’s  head  will  come  out  famously  ; 
but  since  it  is  not  in  the  nature  of  lire  to  descend,  and  I must 
force  it  downwards  six  cubits  by  artificial  means,  I assure  your 
Excellency  upon  this  most  convincing  ground  of  proof  that 
the  foot  cannot  possibly  come  out.  It  will,  however,  be  quite 
easy  for  me  to  restore  it.”  “ Why,  then,”  said  the  Duke,  “did 
you  not  devise  it  so  that  the  foot  should  come  out  as  well  as 
you  affirm  the  head  will  ? ” I answered  : “ I must  have  made 
a much  larger  furnace,  with  a conduit  as  thick  as  my  leg  ; and 
so  I might  have  forced  the  molten  metal  by  its  own  weight  to 
descend  so  far.  Now,  my  pipe,  which  runs  six  cubits  to  the 
statue’s  foot,  as  I have  said,  is  not  thicker  than  two  fingers. 
However,  it  was  not  worth  the  trouble  and  expense  to  make  a 
larger  ; for  I shall  easily  be  able  to  mend  what  is  lacking. 
But  when  my  mould  is  more  than  half  full,  as  I expect,  from 
this  middle  point  upwards,  the  fire  ascending  by  its  natural 
property,  then  the  heads  of  Perseus  and  Medusa  will  come 
out  admirably  ; you  may  be  quite  sure  of  it.”  After  I had 
thus  expounded  these  convincing  arguments,  together  with 
many  more  of  the  same  kind,  which  it  would  be  tedious  to  set 
down  here,  the  Duke  shook  his  head  and  departed  without 
further  ceremony. 


LXXV 

Abandoned  thus  to  my  own  resources,  I took  new  courage, 
and  banished  the  sad  thoughts  which  kept  recurring  to  my 
mind,  making  me  often  weep  bitter  tears  of  repentance  for 
having  left  France ; for  though  I did  so  only  to  revisit 
Florence,  my  sweet  birthplace,  in  order  that  I might 
charitably  succour  my  six  nieces,  this  good  action,  as  I well 
perceived,  had  been  the  beginning  of  my  great  misfortune. 
Nevertheless,  I felt  convinced  that  when  my  Perseus  was 
accomplished,  all  these  trials  would  be  turned  to  high 
felicity  and  glorious  well-being. 

Accordingly  I strengthened  my  heart,  and  with  all  the- 
forces  of  my  body  and  my  purse,  employing  what  little 


BOOK  SECOND 


383 


money  still  remained  to  me,  I set  to  work.  First  I provided 
myself  with  several  loads  of  pinewood  from  the  forests  of 
Serristori,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Montelupo.  While  these 
were  on  their  way,  I clothed  my  Perseus  with  the  clay 
which  I had  prepared  many  months  beforehand,  in  order 
that  it  might  be  duly  seasoned.  After  making  its  clay 
tunic  (for  that  is  the  term  used  in  this  art)  and  properly 
arming  it  and  fencing  it  with  iron  girders,  I began  to  draw 
the  wax  out  by  means  of  a slow  fire.  This  melted  and 
issued  through  numerous  air- vents  I had  made ; for  the 
more  there  are  of  these,  the  better  will  the  mould  fill.  When 
I had  finished  drawing  off  the  wax,  I constructed  a funnel- 
shaped  furnace  all  round  the  model  of  my  Perseus.^  It  was 
built  of  bricks,  so  interlaced,  the  one  above  the  other,  that 
numerous  apertures  were  left  for  the  fire  to  exhale  at.  Then 
I began  to  lay  on  wood  by  degrees,  and  kept  it  burning  two 
whole  days  and  nights.  At  length,  when  all  the  wax  was 
gone,  and  the  mould  was  well  baked,  I set  to  work  at  digging 
the  pit  in  which  to  sink  it.  This  I performed  with  scrupulous 
regard  to  all  the  rules  of  art.  When  I had  finished  that  part 
of  my  work,  I raised  the  mould  by  windlasses  and  stout  ropes 
to  a perpendicular  position,  and  suspending  it  with  the 
greatest  care  one  cubit  above  the  level  of  the  furnace,  so 
that  it  hung  exactly  above  the  middle  of  the  pit,  I next 
lowered  it  gently  down  into  the  very  bottom  of  the  furnace, 
and  had  it  firmly  placed  with  every  possible  precaution  for 
its  safety.  When  this  delicate  operation  was  accomplished, 
I began  to  bank  it  up  with  the  earth  I had  excavated ; and, 
ever  as  the  earth  grew  higher,  I introduced  its  proper  air- 
vents,  which  were  little  tubes  of  earthenware,  such  as  folk 
use  for  drains  and  such -like  purposes.^  At  length,  I felt 
sure  that  it  was  admirably  fixed,  and  that  the  filling-in  of 
the  pit  and  the  placing  of  the  air- vents  had  been  properly 
performed.  I also  could  see  that  my  workpeople  understood 

^ This  furnace,  called  manica,  was  like  a grain-hopper,  so  that  the  mould 
could  stand  upright  in  it  as  in  a cup.  The  word  manica  is  the  same  as  our 
manuch^  an  antique  form  of  sleeve. 

^ These  air-vents,  or  sfiatatoi^  were  introduced  into  the  outer  mould,  which 
Cellini  calls  the  tonaca^  or  clay  tunic  laid  upon  the  original  model  of  baked 
clay  and  wax.  They  served  the  double  purpose  of  drawing  off  the  wax, 
whereby  a space  was  left  for  the  molten  bronze  to  enter,  and  also  of 
facilitating  the  penetration  of  this  molten  metal  by  allowing  a free  escape 
of  air  and  gas  from  the  outer  mould. 


3*4 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


my  method,  which  differed  very  considerably  from  that  of 
all  the  other  masters  in  the  trade.  Feeling  confident,  then, 
that  I could  rely  upon  them,  I next  turned  to  my  furnace, 
which  I had  filled  with  numerous  pigs  of  copper  and  other 
bronze  stuff.  The  pieces  were  piled  according  to  the  laws 
of  art,  that  is  to  say,  so  resting  one  upon  the  other  that  the 
flames  could  play  freely  through  them,  in  order  that  the 
metal  might  heat  and  liquefy  the  sooner.  At  last  I called 
out  heartily  to  set  the  furnace  going.  The  logs  of  pine 
were  heaped  in,  and,  what  with  the  unctuous  resin  of  the 
wood  and  the  good  draught  I had  given,  my  furnace  worked 
so  well  that  I was  obliged  to  rush  from  side  to  side  to  keep 
it  going.  The  labour  was  more  than  I could  stand  ; yet  I 
forced  myself  to  strain  every  nerve  and  muscle.  To  increase 
my  anxieties,  the  workshop  took  fire,  and  we  were  afraid 
lest  the  roof  should  fall  upon  our  heads  ; while,  from  the 
garden,  such  a storm  of  wind  and  rain  kept  blowing  in,  that 
it  perceptibly  cooled  the  furnace. 

Battling  thus  with  all  these  untoward  circumstances  for 
several  hours,  and  exerting  myself  beyond  even  the  measure 
of  my  powerful  constitution,  I could  at  last  bear  up  no  longer, 
and  a sudden  fever,^  of  the  utmost  possible  intensity,  attacked 
me.  I felt  absolutely  obliged  to  go  and  fling  myself  upon  my 
bed.  Sorely  against  my  will  having  to  drag  myself  away 
from  the  spot,  I turned  to  my  assistants,  about  ten  or  more  in 
all,  what  with  master-founders,  hand-workers,  country-fellows, 
and  my  own  special  journeymen,  among  whom  was  Bernar- 
dino Mannellini  of  Mugello,  my  apprentice  through  several 
years.  To  him  in  particular  I spoke  : “ Look,  my  dear  Ber- 
nardino, that  you  observe  the  rules  which  I have  taught  you  ; 
do  your  best  with  all  despatch,  for  the  metal  will  soon  be 
fused.  You  cannot  go  wrong  ; these  honest  men  will  get  the 
channels  ready  ; you  will  easily  be  able  to  drive  back  the  two 
plugs  with  this  pair  of  iron  crooks  ; and  I am  sure  that  my 
mould  will  fill  miraculously.  I feel  more  ill  than  I ever  did  in 
all  my  life,  and  verily  believe  that  it  will  kill  me  before  a few 
hours  are  over.’^^  Thus,  with  despair  at  heart,  I left  them, 
and  betook  myself  to  bed. 

^ Una  febbre  efi7nera.  Lit.,  a fever  of  07ie  day’s  dtiration. 

^ Some  technical  terms  require  explanation  in  this  sentence.  The  canah 
or  channels  were  sluices  for  carrying  the  molten  metal  from  the  furnace  into 
the  mould.  The  mandriani,  which  I have  translated  by  v'on  crooks^  were 


BOOK  SECOND 


385 


LXXVI 

No  sooner  had  I got  to  bed,  than  I ordered  my  serving- 
maids  to  carry  food  and  wine  for  all  the  men  into  the  work- 
shop ; at  the  same  time  I cried : “I  shall  not  be  alive 
to-morrow/’  They  tried  to  encourage  me,  arguing  that  my 
illness  would  pass  over,  since  it  came  from  excessive  fatigue. 
In  this  way  I spent  two  hours  battling  with  the  fever,  which 
steadily  increased,  and  calling  out  continually  : “ I feel  that  I 
am  dying.”  My  housekeeper,  who  was  named  Mona  Fiore 
da  Castel  del  Rio,  a very  notable  manager  and  no  less  warm- 
hearted, kept  chiding  me  for  my  discouragement  ; but,  on 
the  other  hand,  she  paid  me  every  kind  attention  which  was 
possible.  However,  the  sight  of  my  physical  pain  and  moral 
dejection  so  affected  her,  that,  in  spite  of  that  brave  heart  of 
hers,  she  could  not  refrain  from  shedding  tears  ; and  yet,  so 
far  as  she  was  able,  she  took  good  care  I should  not  see  them. 
While  I was  thus  terribly  afflicted,  I beheld  the  figure  of  a 
man  enter  my  chamber,  twisted  in  his  body  into  the  form  of  a 
capital  S.  He  raised  a lamentable,  doleful  voice,  like  one  who 
announces  their  last  hour  to  men  condemned  to  die  upon  the 
scaffold,  and  spoke  these  words  : “ O Benvenuto  ! your  statue 
is  spoiled,  and  there  is  no  hope  whatever  of  saving  it.”  No 
sooner  had  I heard  the  shriek  of  that  wretch  than  I gave  a 
howl  which  might  have  been  heard  from  the  sphere  of  flame. 
Jumping  from  my  bed,  I seized  my  clothes  and  began  to  dress. 
The  maids,  and  my  lad,  and  every  one  who  came  around  to 
help  me,  got  kicks  or  blows  of  the  fist,  while  I kept  crying  out 
in  lamentation  : “ Ah  ! traitors  ! enviers  ! This  is  an  act  of 
treason,  done  by  malice  prepense  ! But  I swear  by  God  that 
I will  sift  it  to  the  bottom,  and  before  I die  will  leave  such 

poles  fitted  at  the  end  with  curved  irons,  by  which  the  openings  of  the  furnace, 
■plugs,  or  in  Italian  spine,  could  be  partially  or  wholly  driven  back,  so  as  to 
let  the  molten  metal  flow  through  the  channels  into  the  mould.  When  the 
metal  reached  the  mould,  it  entered  in  a red-hot  stream  between  the  tonaca, 
or  outside  mould,  and  the  anima,  or  inner  block,  filling  up  exactly  the  space 
which  had  previously  been  occupied  by  the  wax  extracted  by  a method  of  slow 
burning  alluded  to  above.  I believe  that  the  process  is  known  as  casting 
d cire perdne.  The  fo7'ma,  or  mould,  consisted  of  two  pieces  ; one  hollow  {la 
tonaca),  which  gave  shape  to  the  bronze  ; one  solid  and  rounded  {la  anima), 
which  stood  at  a short  interval  within  the  former,  and  regulated  the  influx  of 
the  metal.  See  above,  p.  361,  note. 


2 B 


386 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


witness  to  the  world  of  what  I can  do  as  shall  make  a score  of 
mortals  marvel.” 

When  I had  got  my  clothes  on,  I strode  with  soul  bent  on 
mischief  toward  the  workshop  ; there  I beheld  the  men, 
whom  I had  left  erewhile  in  such  high  spirits,  standing 
stupefied  and  downcast.  I began  at  once  and  spoke  : “ Up 
with  you  ! Attend  to  me  ! Since  you  have  not  been  able  or 
willing  to  obey  the  directions  I gave  you,  obey  me  now  that 
I am  with  you  to  conduct  my  work  in  person.  Let  no  one 
contradict  me,  for  in  cases  like  this  we  need  the  aid  of  hand 
and  hearing,  not  of  advice.”  When  I had  uttered  these 
words,  a certain  Maestro  Alessandro  Lastricati  broke  silence 
and  said  : “ Look  you,  Benvenuto,  you  are  going  to  attempt  an 
enterprise  which  the  laws  of  art  do  not  sanction,  and  which 
cannot  succeed.”  I turned  upon  him  with  such  fury  and  so 
full  of  mischief,  that  he  and  all  the  rest  of  them  exclaimed 
with  one  voice  : “ On  then  ! Give  orders ! We  will  obey 
your  least  commands,  so  long  as  life  is  left  in  us.”  I believe 
they  spoke  thus  feelingly  because  they  thought  I must  fall 
shortly  dead  upon  the  ground.  I went  immediately  to  inspect 
the  furnace,  and  found  that  the  metal  was  all  curdled  ; an 
accident  which  we  express  by  “ being  caked.”  ^ I told  two  of 
the  hands  to  cross  the  road,  and  fetch  from  the  house  of  the 
butcher  Capretta  a load  of  young  oak-wood,  which  had  lain 
dry  for  above  a year  ; this  wood  had  been  previously  offered 
me  by  Madame  Ginevra,  wife  of  the  said  Capretta.  So  soon 
as  the  first  armfuls  arrived,  I began  to  fill  the  grate  beneath 
the  furnace.^  Now  oak-wood  of  that  kind  heats  more  power- 
fully than  any  other  sort  of  tree  ; and  for  this  reason,  where  a 
slow  fire  is  wanted,  as  in  the  case  of  gun-foundry,  alder  or 
pine  is  preferred.  Accordingly,  when  the  logs  took  fire,  oh ! 
how  the  cake  began  to  stir  beneath  that  awful  heat,  to  glow 
and  sparkle  in  a blaze  ! At  the  same  time  I kept  stirring  up 
the  channels,  and  sent  men  upon  the  roof  to  stop  the  confla- 
gration, which  had  gathered  force  from  the  increased  com- 
bustion in  the  furnace  ; also  I caused  boards,  carpets,  and 
other  hangings  to  be  set  up  against  the  garden,  in  order  to 
protect  us  from  the  violence  of  the  rain. 

^ Essersi  fatto  tm  migliaccio. 

^ The  Italian  is  bracciaiiiola,  a pit  below  the  grating,  which  receives  the 
ashes  from  the  furnace. 


BOOK  SECOND 


387 


LXXVII 

When  I had  thus  provided  against  these  several  disasters, 
1 roared  out  first  to  one  man  and  then  to  another : “ Bring 
this  thing  here  ! Take  that  thing  there  ! ” At  this  crisis, 
when  the  whole  gang  saw  the  cake  was  on  the  point  of 
melting,  they  did  my  bidding,  each  fellow  working  with 
the  strength  of  three.  I then  ordered  half  a pig  of  pewter 
to  be  brought,  which  weighed  about  sixty  pounds,  and 
Hung  it  into  the  middle  of  the  cake  inside  the  furnace.  By 
this  means,  and  by  piling  on  wood  and  stirring  now  with 
pokers  and  now  with  iron  rods,  the  curdled  mass  rapidly 
began  to  liquefy.  Then,  knowing  I had  brought  the  dead 
to  life  again,  against  the  firm  opinion  of  those  ignoramuses, 
I felt  such  vigour  fill  my  veins,  that  all  those  pains  of  fever, 
all  those  fears  of  death,  were  quite  forgotten. 

All  of  a sudden  an  explosion  took  place,  attended  by  a 
tremendous  flash  of  flame,  as  though  a thunderbolt  had 
formed  and  been  discharged  amongst  us.  Unwonted  and 
appalling  terror  astonied  every  one,  and  me  more  even 
than  the  rest.  When  the  din  was  over  and  the  dazzling 
light  extinguished,  we  began  to  look  each  other  in  the  face. 
Then  I discovered  that  the  cap  of  the  furnace  had  blown  up, 
and  the  bronze  was  bubbling  over  from  its  source  beneath. 
So  I had  the  mouths  of  my  mould  immediately  opened,  and 
at  the  same  time  drove  in  the  two  plugs  which  kept  back 
the  molten  metal.  But  I noticed  that  it  did  not  flow  as 
rapidly  as  usual,  the  reason  being  probably  that  the  fierce 
heat  of  the  fire  we  kindled  had  consumed  its  base  alloy. 
Accordingly  I sent  for  all  my  pewter  platters,  porringers, 
and  dishes,  to  the  number  of  some  two  hundred  pieces,  and 
had  a portion  of  them  cast,  one  by  one,  into  the  channels, 
the  rest  into  the  furnace.  This  expedient  succeeded,  and 
every  one  could  now  perceive  that  my  bronze  was  in  most 
perfect  liquefaction,  and  my  mould  was  filling ; whereupon 
they  all  with  heartiness  and  happy  cheer  assisted  and 
obeyed  my  bidding,  while  I,  now  here,  now  there,  gave 
orders,  helped  with  my  own  hands,  and  cried  aloud  : “ O 
God  ! Thou  that  by  Thy  immeasurable  power  didst  rise 
from  the  dead,  and  in  Thy  glory  didst  ascend  to  heaven !! 

. . . even  thus  in  a moment  my  mould  was  filled ; and 


388 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


seeing  my  work  finished,  I fell  upon  my  knees,  and  with 
all  my  heart  gave  thanks  to  God. 

After  all  was  over,  I turned  to  a plate  of  salad  on  a bench 
there,  and  ate  with  hearty  appetite,  and  drank  together  with 
the  whole  crew.  Afterwards  I retired  to  bed,  healthy  and 
happy,  for  it  was  now  two  hours  before  morning,  and  slept  as 
sweetly  as  though  I had  never  felt  a touch  of  illness.  My 
good  housekeeper,  without  my  giving  any  orders,  had  pre- 
pared a fat  capon  for  my  repast.  So  that,  when  I rose, 
about  the  hour  for  breaking  fast,  she  presented  herself  with 
a smiling  countenance,  and  said  : “ Oh  ! is  that  the  man  who 
felt  that  he  was  dying  ? Upon  my  word,  I think  the  blows 
and  kicks  you  dealt  us  last  night,  when  you  were  so  enraged, 
and  had  that  demon  in  your  body  as  it  seemed,  must  have 
frightened  away  your  mortal  fever  ! The  fever  feared  that 
it  might  catch  it  too,  as  we  did  ! ’’  All  my  poor  household, 
relieved  in  like  measure  from  anxiety  and  overwhelming 
labour,  went  at  once  to  buy  earthen  vessels  in  order  to  replace 
the  pewter  I had  cast  away.  Then  we  dined  together  joy- 
fully ; nay,  I cannot  remember  a day  in  my  whole  life  when 
I dined  with  greater  gladness  or  a better  appetite. 

After  our  meal  I received  visits  from  the  several  men 
who  had  assisted  me.  They  exchanged  congratulations,  and 
thanked  God  for  our  success,  saying  they  had  learned  and 
seen  things  done  which  other  masters  judged  impossible. 
I too  grew  somewhat  glorious  ; and  deeming  I had  shown 
myself  a man  of  talent,  indulged  a boastful  humour.  So  I 
thrust  my  hand  into  my  purse,  and  paid  them  all  to  their 
full  satisfaction. 

That  evil  fellow,  my  mortal  foe,  Messer  Pier  Francesco 
Ricci,  majordomo  of  the  Duke,  took  great  pains  to  find  out 
how  the  affair  had  gone.  In  answer  to  his  questions,  the  two 
men  whom  I suspected  of  having  caked  my  metal  for  me, 
said  I was  no  man,  but  of  a certainty  some  powerful  devil, 
since  I had  accomplished  what  no  craft  of  the  art  could  do  ; 
indeed  they  did  not  believe  a mere  ordinary  fiend  could  work 
such  miracles  as  I in  other  ways  had  shown.  They  exagge- 
rated the  whole  affair  so  much,  possibly  in  order  to  excuse 
their  own  part  in  it,  that  the  majordomo  wrote  an  account  to 
the  Duke,  who  was  then  in  Pisa,  far  more  marvellous  and  full 
of  thrilling  incidents  than  what  they  had  narrated. 


BOOK  SECOND 


389 


LXXVIII 

After  I had  let  my  statue  cool  for  two  whole  days,  I began 
to  uncover  it  by  slow  degrees.  The  first  thing  I found  was 
that  the  head  of  Medusa  had  come  out  most  admirably, 
thanks  to  the  air- vents  ; for,  as  I had  told  the  Duke,  it  is  the 
nature  of  fire  to  ascend.  Upon  advancing  farther,  I dis- 
covered that  the  other  head,  that,  namely,  of  Perseus,  had 
succeeded  no  less  admirably  ; and  this  astonished  me  fat 
more,  because  it  is  at  a considerably  lower  level  than  that 
of  the  Medusa.  Now  the  mouths  of  the  mould  were  placed 
above  the  head  of  Perseus  and  behind  his  shoulders ; and  I 
found  that  all  the  bronze  my  furnace  contained  had  been 
exhausted  in  the  head  of  this  figure.  It  was  a miracle  to 
observe  that  not  one  fragment  remained  in  the  orifice  of  the 
channel,  and  that  nothing  was  wanting  to  the  statue.  In  my 
great  astonishment  I seemed  to  see  in  this  the  hand  of  God 
arranging  and  controlling  all. 

I went  on  uncovering  the  statue  with  success,  and  ascer- 
tained that  everything  had  come  out  in  perfect  order,  until  I 
reached  the  foot  of  the  right  leg  on  which  the  statue  rests. 
There  the  heel  itself  was  formed,  and  going  farther,  I found 
the  foot  apparently  complete.  This  gave  me  great  joy  on  the 
one  side,  but  was  half  unwelcome  to  me  on  the  other,  merely 
because  I had  told  the  Duke  that  it  could  not  come  out. 
However,  when  I reached  the  end,  it  appeared  that  the  toes 
and  a little  piece  above  them  were  unfinished,  so  that  about 
half  the  foot  was  wanting.  Although  I knew  that  this  would 
add  a trifle  to  my  labour,  I was  very  well  pleased,  because  I 
could  now  prove  to  the  Duke  how  well  I understood  my 
business.  It  is  true  that  far  more  of  the  foot  than  I expected 
had  been  perfectly  formed  ; the  reason  of  this  was  that,  from 
causes  I have  recently  described,  the  bronze  was  hotter  than 
our  rules  of  art  prescribe  ; also  that  I had  been  obliged  to  sup- 
plement the  alloy  with  my  pewter  cups  and  platters,  which 
no  one  else,  I think,  had  ever  done  before. 

Having  now  ascertained  how  successfully  my  work  had 
been  accomplished,  I lost  no  time  in  hurr5dng  to  Pisa,  where 
I found  the  Duke.  He  gave  me  a most  gracious  reception, 
as  did  also  the  Duchess  ; and  although  the  majordomo  had 
informed  them  of  the  whole  proceedings,  their  Excellencies 


390 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


deemed  my  performance  far  more  stupendous  and  astonish- 
ing when  they  heard  the  tale  from  my  own  mouth.  When  I 
arrived  at  the  foot  of  Perseus,  and  said  it  had  not  coine  out 
perfect,  just  as  I previously  warned  his  Excellency,  I saw  an 
expression  of  wonder  pass  over  his  face,  while  he  related  to 
the  Duchess  how  I had  predicted  this  beforehand.  Observ- 
ing the  princes  to  be  so  well  disposed  towards  me,  I begged 
leave  from  the  Duke  to  go  to  Rome.  He  granted  it  in  most 
obliging  terms,  and  bade  me  return  as  soon  as  possible  to 
complete  his  Perseus  ; giving  me  letters  of  recommendation 
meanwhile  to  his  ambassador,  Averardo  Serristori.  We  were 
then  in  the  first  years  of  Pope  Giulio  de  Monti.^ 


LXXIX 

Before  leaving  home,  I directed  my  workpeople  to  proceed 
according  to  the  method  I had  taught  them.  The  reason  of 
my  journey  was  as  follows.  I had  made  a life-sized  bust  in 
bronze  of  Bindo  Altoviti,^  the  son  of  Antonio,  and  had  sent 
it  to  him  at  Rome.  He  set  it  up  in  his  study,  which  was 
very  richly  adorned  with  antiquities  and  other  works  of  art ; 
but  the  room  was  not  designed  for  statues  or  for  paintings, 
since  the  windows  were  too  low,  so  that  the  light  coming 
from  beneath  spoiled  the  effect  they  would  have  produced 
under  more  favourable  conditions.  It  happened  one  day 
that  Bindo  was  standing  at  his  door,  when  Michel  Agnolo 
Buonarroti,  the  sculptor,  passed  by ; so  he  begged  him  to 
come  in  and  see  his  study.  Michel  Agnolo  followed,  and  on 
entering  the  room  and  looking  round,  he  exclaimed  : “ Who 
is  the  master  who  made  tliat  good  portrait  of  you  in  so  fine 
a manner?  You  must  know  that  that  bust  pleases  me  as 
much,  or  even  more,  than  those  antiques ; and  yet  there  are 
many  fine  things  to  be  seen  among  the  latter.  If  those 
windows  were  above  instead  of  beneath,  the  whole  collection 
would  show  to  greater  advantage,  and  your  portrait,  placed 
among  so  many  masterpieces,  would  hold  its  own  with  credit.^^ 

^ Gio  Maria  del  Monte  Sansovino  was  elected  Pope,  with  the  title  of 
Julius  III.,  in  February  1550. 

This  man  was  a member  of  a very  noble  Florentine  family.  Born  in  1491, 
be  was  at  this  epoch  Tuscan  Consul  in  Rome.  Cellini’s  bust  of  him  still  exists 
in  the  Palazzo  Altoviti  at  Rome. 


BOOK  SECOND 


391 


No  sooner  had  Michel  Agnolo  left  the  house  of  Bindo  than  he 
wrote  me  a very  kind  letter,  which  ran  as  follows  ; “ My  dear 
Benvenuto,  I have  known  you  for  many  years  as  the  greatest 
goldsmith  of  whom  we  have  any  information  ; and  hence- 
forward I shall  know  you  for  a sculptor  of  like  quality.  I 
must  tell  you  that  Master  Bindo  Altoviti  took  me  to  see 
his  bust  in  bronze,  and  informed  me  that  you  had  made  it. 
I was  greatly  pleased  with  the  work ; but  it  annoyed  me  to 
notice  that  it  was  placed  in  a bad  light ; for  if  it  were  suitably 
illuminated,  it  would  show  itself  to  be  the  line  performance 
that  it  is.’’  This  letter  abounded  with  the  most  affectionate 
and  complimentary  expressions  towards  myself ; and  before 
I left  for  Rome,  I showed  it  to  the  Duke,  who  read  it  with 
much  kindly  interest,  and  said  to  me  : “ Benvenuto,  if  you 
write  to  him,  and  can  persuade  him  to  return  to  Florence,  I 
will  make  him  a member  of  the  Forty-eight.”  ^ Accordingly 
I wrote  a letter  full  of  warmth,  and  offered  in  the  Duke’s 
name  a hundred  times  more  than  my  commission  carried; 
but  not  wanting  to  make  any  mistake,  I showed  this  to  the 
Duke  before  I sealed  it,  saying  to  his  most  illustrious  Ex- 
cellency : “ Prince,  perhaps  I have  made  him  too  many  pro- 
mises.” He  replied  : “ Michel  Agnolo  deserves  more  than 
you  have  promised,  and  I will  bestow  on  him  still  greater 
favours.”  To  this  letter  he  sent  no  answer,  and  I could  see 
that  the  Duke  was  much  offended  with  him. 


LXXX 

When  I reached  Rome,  I went  to  lodge  in  Bindo  Altoviti’s 
house.  He  told  me  at  once  how  he  had  shown  his  bronze 
bust  to  Michel  Agnolo,  and  how  the  latter  had  praised  it.  So 
we  spoke  for  some  length  upon  this  topic.  I ought  to  narrate 
the  reasons  why  I had  taken  this  portrait.  Bindo  had  in  his 
hands  1200  golden  crowns  of  mine,  which  formed  part  of  5000 
he  had  lent  the  Duke  ; 4000  were  his  own,  and  mine  stood  in 
his  name,  while  I received  that  portion  of  the  interest  which 
accrued  to  me.^  This  led  to  my  taking  his  portrait ; and 
when  he  saw  the  wax  model  for  the  bust,  he  sent  me  fifty 

^ This  was  one  of  the  three  Councils  created  by  Clement  VII.  in  1532,  when 
he  changed  the  Florentine  constitution.  It  corresponded  to  a Senate. 

^ To  make  the  sum  correct,  5200  ought  to  have  been  lent  the  Duke. 


392  LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 

golden  scudi  by  a notary  in  his  employ,  named  Ser  Giuliano 
Paccalli.  I did  not  want  to  take  the  money,  so  I sent  it  back 
to  him  by  the  same  hand,  saying  at  a later  time  to  Bindo  : 
“ I shall  be  satisfied  if  you  keep  that  sum  of  mine  for  me 
at  interest,  so  that  I may  gain  a little  on  it.”  When  we  came 
to  square  accounts  on  this  occasion,  I observed  that  he  was 
ill  disposed  towards  me,  since,  instead  of  treating  me  affec- 
tionately, according  to  his  previous  wont,  he  put  on  a stiff  air  ; 
and  although  I was  staying  in  his  house,  he  was  never  good- 
humoured,  but  always  surly.  However,  we  settled  our  busi- 
ness in  a few  words.  I sacrificed  my  pay  for  his  portrait, 
together  with  the  bronze,  and  we  arranged  that  he  should 
keep  my  money  at  15  per  cent,  during  my  natural  life. 


LXXXI 

One  of  the  first  things  I did  was  to  go  and  kiss  the  Pope’s 
feet ; and  while  I was  speaking  with  his  Holiness,  Messer 
Averardo  Serristori,  our  Duke’s  Envoy,  arrived.^  I had  made 
some  proposals  to  the  Pope,  which  I think  he  would  have 
agreed  upon,  and  I should  have  been  very  glad  to  return  to 
Rome  on  account  of  the  great  difficulties  which  I had  at 
Florence.  But  I soon  perceived  that  the  ambassador  had 
countermined  me. 

Then  I went  to  visit  Michel  Agnolo  Buonarroti,  and  re- 
peated what  I had  written  from  Florence  to  him  in  the 
Duke’s  name.  He  replied  that  he  was  engaged  upon  the 
fabric  of  S.  Peter’s,  and  that  this  would  prevent  him  from 
leaving  Rome.  I rejoined  that,  as  he  had  decided  on  the 
model  of  that  building,  he  could  leave  its  execution  to  his 
man  Urbino,  who  would  carry  out  his  orders  to  the  letter. 
I added  much  about  future  favours,  in  the  form  of  a message 
from  the  Duke.  Upon  this  he  looked  me  hard  in  the  face, 
and  said  with  a sarcastic  smile  : “ And  you  ! to  what  extent 
are  you  satisfied  with  him  ? ” Although  I replied  that  I was 
extremely  contented  and  was  very  well  treated  by  his  Ex- 
cellency, he  showed  that  he  was  acquainted  with  the  greater 
part  of  my  annoyances,  and  gave  as  his  final  answer  that  it 
would  be  difficult  for  him  to  leave  Rome.  To  this  I added 

^ His  despatches  form  a valuable  series  of  historical  documents.  Firenze^ 
Le  Monnier,  1853. 


BOOK  SECOND 


393 


that  be  could  not  do  better  than  to  return  to  his  own  land, 
which  was  governed  by  a prince  renowned  for  justice,  and  the 
greatest  lover  of  the  arts  and  sciences  who  ever  saw  the  light 
of  this  world.  As  I have  remarked  above,  he  had  with  him 
a servant  of  his  who  came  from  Urbino,  and  had  lived  many 
years  in  his  employment,  rather  as  valet  and  housekeeper 
than  anything  else ; this  indeed  was  obvious,  because  he 
had  acquired  no  skill  in  the  arts.^  Consequently,  while  I was 
pressing  Michel  Agnolo  with  arguments  he  could  not  answer, 
he  turned  round  sharply  to  Urbino,  as  though  to  ask  him  his 
opinion.  The  fellow  began  to  bawl  out  in  his  rustic  way : “ I 
will  never  leave  my  master  Michel  Agnolo’s  side  till  I shall 
have  flayed  him  or  he  shall  have  flayed  me.”  These  stupid 
words  forced  me  to  laugh,  and  without  saying  farewell,  I 
lowered  my  shoulders  and  retired. 


LXXXII 

The  miserable  bargain  I had  made  with  Bindo  Altoviti, 
losing  my  bust  and  leaving  him  my  capital  for  life,  taught 
me  what  the  faith  of  merchants  is  ; so  I returned  in  bad 
spirits  to  Florence.  I went  at  once  to  the  palace  to  pay  my 
respects  to  the  Duke,  whom  I found  to  be  at  Castello  beyond 
Ponte  a Rifredi.  In  the  palace  I met  Messer  Pier  Francesco 
Ricci,  the  majordomo,  and  when  I drew  nigh  to  pay  him  the 
usual  compliments,  he  exclaimed  with  measureless  astonish- 
ment : “ Oh,  are  you  come  back  ? ” and  with  the  same  air  of 
surprise,  clapping  his  hands  together,  he  cried  : The  Duke 
is  at  Castello  ! ” then  turned  his  back  and  left  me.  I could 
not  form  the  least  idea  why  the  beast  behaved  in  such  an 
extraordinary  manner  to  me. 

Proceeding  at  once  to  Castello,  and  entering  the  garden 
where  the  Duke  was,  I caught  sight  of  him  at  a distance  ; 
but  no  sooner  had  he  seen  me  than  he  showed  signs  of 
surprise,  and  intimated  that  I might  go  about  my  business. 
I had  been  reckoning  that  his  Excellency  would  treat  me 
with  the  same  kindness,  or  even  greater,  as  before  I left  for 
Rome ; so  now,  when  he  received  me  with  such  rudeness, 
I went  back,  much  hurt,  to  Florence.  While  resuming  my 

^ Upon  the  death  of  this  Urbino,  Michel  Angelo  wrote  a touching  sonnet 
and  a very  feeling  letter  to  Vasari. 


394 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


work  and  pushing  my  statue  forward,  I racked  my  brains 
to  think  what  could  have  brought  about  this  sudden  change 
in  the  Duke’s  manner.  The  curious  way  in  which  Messer 
Sforza  and  some  other  gentlemen  close  to  his  Excellency’s 
person  eyed  me,  prompted  me  to  ask  the  former  what  the 
matter  was.  He  only  replied  with  a sort  of  smile : “ Ben- 
venuto, do  your  best  to  be  an  honest  man,  and  have  no 
concern  for  anything  else.”  A few  days  afterwards  I ob- 
tained an  audience  of  the  Duke,  who  received  me  with  a 
kind  of  grudging  grace,  and  asked  me  what  I had  been 
doing  at  Rome.  To  the  best  of  my  ability  I maintained 
the  conversation,  and  told  him  the  whole  story  about 
Bindo  Altoviti’s  bust.  It  was  evident  that  he  listened  with 
attention  ; so  I went  on  talking  about  Michel  Agnolo 
Buonarroti.  At  this  he  showed  displeasure;  but  Urbino’s 
stupid  speech  about  the  flaying  made  him  laugh  aloud. 
Then  he  said:  “Well,  it  is  he  who  suffers!”  and  I took 
my  leave. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  Ser  Pier  Francesco,  the 
majordomo,  must  have  served  me  some  ill  turn  with  the 
Duke,  which  did  not,  however,  succeed ; for  God,  who  loves 
the  truth,  protected  me,  as  He  hath  ever  saved  me,  from  a 
sea  of  dreadful  dangers,  and  I hope  will  save  me  till  the 
end  of  this  my  life,  however  full  of  trials  it  may  be.  I 
march  forward,  therefore,  with  a good  heart,  sustained  alone 
by  His  divine  power;  nor  let  myself  be  terrified  by  any 
furious  assault  of  fortune  or  my  adverse  stars.  May  only 
God  maintain  me  in  FI  is  grace ! 


LXXXIII 

I must  beg  your  attention  now,  most  gracious  reader,  for 
a very  terrible  event  which  happened. 

I used  the  utmost  diligence  and  industry  to  complete  my 
statue,  and  went  to  spend  my  evenings  in  the  Duke’s  ward- 
robe, assisting  there  the  goldsmiths  who  were  working  for 
his  Excellency.  Indeed,  they  laboured  mainly  on  designs 
which  I had  given  them.  Noticing  that  the  Duke  took 
pleasure  in  seeing  me  at  work  and  talking  with  me,  I took 
it  into  my  head  to  go  there  sometimes  also  by  day.  It 
happened  upon  one  of  those  days  that  his  Excellency  came 


BOOK  SECOND 


395 


as  usual  to  the  room  where  I was  occupied,  and  more 
particularly  because  he  heard  of  my  arrival.  His  Excellency 
entered  at  once  into  conversation,  raising  several  interesting 
topics,  upon  which  I gave  my  views  so  much  to  his  entertain- 
ment that  he  showed  more  cheerfulness  than  I had  ever 
seen  in  him  before.  All  of  a sudden,  one  of  his  secretaries 
appeared,  and  whispered  something  of  importance  in  his 
ear;  whereupon  the  Duke  rose,  and  retired  with  the  official 
into  another  chamber.  Now  the  Duchess  had  sent  to  see 
what  his  Excellency  was  doing,  and  her  page  brought  back 
this  answer : “ The  Duke  is  talking  and  laughing  with 
Benvenuto,  and  is  in  excellent  good-humour.”  When  the 
Duchess  heard  this,  she  came  immediately  to  the  wardrobe, 
and  not  finding  the  Duke  there,  took  a seat  beside  us.  After 
watching  us  at  work  a while,  she  turned  to  me  with  the 
utmost  graciousness,  and  showed  me  a necklace  of  large 
and  really  very  fine  pearls.  On  being  asked  by  her  what 
I thought  of  them,  I said  it  was  in  truth  a very  handsome 
ornament.  Then  she  spoke  as  follows : “I  should  like  the 
Duke  to  buy  them  for  me  ; so  I beg  you,  my  dear  Ben- 
venuto, to  praise  them  to  him  as  highly  as  you  can.”  At 
these  words  I disclosed  my  mind  to  the  Duchess  with  all 
the  respect  I could,  and  answered : “ My  lady,  I thought 
this  necklace  of  pearls  belonged  already  to  your  most  illus- 
trious Excellency.  Now  that  I am  aware  you  have  not  yet 
acquired  them,  it  is  right,  nay,  more,  it  is  my  duty  to  utter 
what  I might  otherwise  have  refrained  from  saying,  namely, 
that  my  mature  professional  experience  enables  me  to  detect 
very  grave  faults  in  the  pearls,  and  for  this  reason  I could 
never  advise  your  Excellency  to  purchase  them.”  She  re- 
plied : “The  merchant  offers  them  for  six  thousand  crowns  ; 
and  were  it  not  for  some  of  those  trifling  defects  you  speak 
of,  the  rope  would  be  worth  over  twelve  thousand.”  To 
this  I replied,  that  “ even  were  the  necklace  of  quite  flawless 
quality,  I could  not  advise  any  one  to  bid  up  to  five  thousand 
crowns  for  it ; for  pearls  are  not  gems ; pearls  are  but 
fishes’  bones,  which  in  the  course  of  time  must  lose  their 
freshness.  Diamonds,  rubies,  emeralds,  and  sapphires,  on 
the  contrary,  never  grow  old  ; these  four  are  precious  stones, 
and  these  it  is  quite  right  to  purchase.”  When  I had  thus 
spoken,  the  Duchess  showed  some  signs  of  irritation,  and 
exclaimed  : “I  have  a mind  to  possess  these  pearls  ; so, 


396 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


prithee,  take  them  to  the  Duke,  and  praise  them  up  to  the 
skies  ; even  if  you  have  to  use  some  -words  beyond  the 
bounds  of  truth,  speak  them  to  do  me  service  ; it  will  be 
well  for  you  ! ” 

I have  always  been  the  greatest  friend  of  truth  and  foe  of 
lies  : yet,  compelled  by  necessity,  unwilling  to  lose  the  favour 
of  so  great  a princess,  I took  those  confounded  pearls  sorely 
against  my  inclination,  and  went  with  them  over  to  the  other 
room,  whither  the  Duke  had  withdrawn.  No  sooner  did  he 
set  eyes  upon  me  than  he  cried  : “ O Benvenuto  ! what  are 
you  about  here  ? ” I uncovered  the  pearls  and  said  : “ My 
lord,  I am  come  to  show  you  a most  splendid  necklace  of 
pearls,  of  the  rarest  quality,  and  truly  worthy  of  your 
Excellency  ; I do  not  believe  it  would  be  possible  to  put 
together  eighty  pearls  which  could  show  better  than  these 
do  in  a necklace.  My  counsel  therefore  is,  that  you  should 
buy  them,  for  they  are  in  good  sooth  miraculous.”  He  re- 
sponded on  the  instant : “I  do  not  choose  to  buy  them  ; 
they  are  not  pearls  of  the  quality  and  goodness  you  affirm  ; 
I have  seen  the  necklace,  and  they  do  not  please  me.” 
Then  I added : “ Pardon  me,  prince  ! These  pearls  exceed 
in  rarity  and  beauty  any  which  were  ever  brought  together 
for  a necklace.”  The  Duchess  had  risen,  and  was  stand- 
ing behind  a door  listening  to  all  I said.  Well,  when  I 
had  praised  the  pearls  a thousandfold  more  warmly  than 
I have  described  above,  the  Duke  turned  toward  me  with 
a kindly  look,  and  said  : “ O my  dear  Benvenuto,  I know 
that  you  have  an  excellent  judgment  in  these  matters.  If 
the  pearls  are  as  rare  as  you  certify,  I should  not  hesitate 
about  their  purchase,  partly  to  gratify  the  Duchess,  and 
partly  to  possess  them,  seeing  I have  always  need  of  such 
things,  not  so  much  for  her  Grace,  as  for  the  various  uses 
of  my  sons  and  daughters.”  When  I heard  him  speak  thus, 
having  once  begun  to  tell  fibs,  I stuck  to  them  with  even 
greater  boldness  ; I gave  all  the  colour  of  truth  I could  to 
my  lies,  confiding  in  the  promise  of  the  Duchess  to  help 
me  at  the  time  of  need.  More  than  two  hundred  crowns 
were  to  be  my  commission  on  the  bargain,  and  the  Duchess 
had  intimated  that  I should  receive  so  much  ; but  I was 
firmly  resolved  not  to  touch  a farthing,  in  order  to  secure 
my  credit,  and  convince  the  Duke  I was  not  prompted  by 
avarice.  Once  more  his  Excellency  began  to  address  me 


BOOK  SECOND 


397 


with  the  greatest  courtesy  : “ I know  that  you  are  a con- 
summate judge  of  these  things  ; therefore,  if  you  are  the 
honest  man  I always  thought  you,  tell  me  now  the  truth.” 
Thereat  I flushed  up  to  my  eyes,  which  at  the  same  time 
filled  with  tears,  and  said  to  him  : “ My  lord,  if  I tell  youi 
most  illustrious  Excellency  the  truth,  I shall  make  a mortal 
foe  of  the  Duchess  ; this  will  oblige  me  to  depart  from 
Florence,  and  my  enemies  will  begin  at  once  to  pour  con- 
tempt upon  my  Perseus,  which  I have  announced  as  a 
masterpiece  to  the  most  noble  school  of  your  illustrious 
Excellency.  Such  being  the  case,  I recommend  myself  to 
your  most  illustrious  Excellency.” 


LXXXIV 

The  Duke  was  now  aware  that  all  my  previous  speeches 
had  been,  as  it  were,  forced  out  of  me.  So  he  rejoined  : 
“ If  you  have  confidence  in  me,  you  need  not  stand  in  fear 
of  anything  whatever.”  I recommenced:  “Alas!  my  lord, 
what  can  prevent  this  coming  to  the  ears  of  the  Duchess  ? ” 
The  Duke  lifted  his  hand  in  sign  of  troth-pledge  ^ and  ex- 
claimed : “ Be  assured  that  what  you  say  will  be  buried  in 
a diamond  casket  1 ” To  this  engagement  upon  honour  1 
replied  by  telling  the  truth  according  to  my  judgment, 
namely,  that  the  pearls  were  not  worth  above  two  thousand 
crowns.  The  Duchess,  thinking  we  had  stopped  talking,  for 
we  now  were  speaking  in  as  low  a voice  as  possible,  came 
forward,  and  began  as  follows  : “ My  lord,  do  me  the  favour 
to  purchase  this  necklace,  because  I have  set  my  heart  on 
them,  and  your  Benvenuto  here  has  said  he  never  saw  a finer 
row  of  pearls.”  The  Duke  replied  : “ I do  not  choose  to  buy 
them.”  “ Why,  my  lord,  will  not  your  Excellency  gratify 
me  by  buying  them  ? ” “ Because  I do  not  care  to  throw 

my  money  out  of  window.”  The  Duchess  recommenced  : 
“What  do  you  mean  by  throwing  your  money  away,  when 
Benvenuto,  in  whom  you  place  such  well- merited  confidence, 
has  told  me  that  they  would  be  cheap  at  over  three  thousand 
crowns  ? ” Then  the  Duke  said  : “ My  lady  1 my  Benvenuto 
here  has  told  me  that,  if  I purchase  this  necklace,  I shall  be 
throwing  my  money  away,  inasmuch  as  the  pearls  are  neither 

^ Ahd  la  fede. 


398 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


round  nor  well-matched,  and  some  of  them  are  quite  faded. 
To  prove  that  this  is  so,  look  here  ! look  there  ! consider  this 
one  and  then  that.  The  necklace  is  not  the  sort  of  thing  for 
me.”  At  these  words  the  Duchess  cast  a glance  of  bitter 
spite  at  me,  and  retired  with  a threatening  nod  of  her  head  in 
my  direction.  I felt  tempted  to  pack  off  at  once  and  bid 
farewell  to  Italy.  Yet  my  Perseus  being  all  but  finished,  I 
did  not  like  to  leave  without  exposing  it  to  public  view.  But 
I ask  every  one  to  consider  in  what  a grievous  plight  I found 
myself  ! 

The  Duke  had  given  orders  to  his  porters  in  my  presence, 
that  if  I appeared  at  the  palace,  they  should  always  admit  me 
through  his  apartments  to  the  place  where  he  might  happen 
to  be.  The  Duchess  commanded  the  same  men,  whenever  1 
showed  my  face  at  that  palace,  to  drive  me  from  its  gates. 
Accordingly,  no  sooner  did  I present  myself,  than  these 
fellows  left  their  doors  and  bade  me  begone  ; at  the  same 
time  they  took  good  care  lest  the  Duke  should  perceive  what 
they  were  after  ; for  if  he  caught  sight  of  me  before  those 
wretches,  he  either  called  me,  or  beckoned  to  me  to  advance. 

At  this  juncture  the  Duchess  sent  for  Bernardone,  the 
broker,  of  whom  she  had  so  often  complained  to  me,  abusing 
his  good-for-nothingness  and  utter  worthlessness.  She  now 
confided  in  him  as  she  had  previously  done  in  me.  He  re- 
plied : “ My  princess,  leave  the  matter  in  my  hands.”  Then 
the  rascal  presented  himself  before  the  Duke  with  that 
necklace  in  his  hands.  No  sooner  did  the  Duke  set  eyes  on 
him  than  he  bade  him  begone.  But  the  rogue  lifted  his  big 
ugly  voice,  which  sounded  like  the  braying  of  an  ass  through 
his  huge  nose,  and  spoke  to  this  effect : “ Ah  ! my  dear  lord, 
for  Heaven’s  sake  buy  this  necklace  for  the  poor  Duchess, 
who  is  dying  to  have  it,  and  cannot  indeed  live  without  it.” 
The  fellow  poured  forth  so  much  of  this  stupid  nonsensical 
stuff  that  the  Duke’s  patience  was  exhausted,  and  he  cried  : 
“ Oh,  get  away  with  you,  or  blow  your  chaps  out  till  I smack 
them  ! ” The  knave  knew  very  well  what  he  was  after  ; for 
if  by  blowing  out  his  cheeks  or  singing  La  Bella  Franceschina,^ 
he  could  bring  the  Duke  to  make  that  purchase,  then  he 
gained  the  good  grace  of  the  Duchess,  and  to  boot  his 
own  commission,  which  rose  to  some  hundreds  of  crowns. 


^ A popular  ballad  of  the  time. 


BOOK  SECOND 


399 


Consequently  he  did  blow  out  his  chaps.  The  Duke  smacked 
them  with  several  hearty  boxes,  and,  in  order  to  get  rid  of 
him,  struck  rather  harder  than  his  wont  was.  The  sound  blows 
upon  his  cheeks  not  only  reddened  them  above  their  natural 
purple,  but  also  brought  tears  into  his  eyes.  All  the  same, 
while  smarting,  he  began  to  cry  : “ Lo  ! my  lord,  a faithful 
servant  of  his  prince,  who  tries  to  act  rightly,  and  is  willing 
to  put  up  with  any  sort  of  bad  treatment,  provided  only  that 
poor  lady  have  her  heart’s  desire  ! ” The  Duke,  tired  of 
the  ribald  fellow,  either  to  recompense  the  cuffs  which  he 
had  dealt  him,  or  for  the  Duchess’s  sake,  whom  he  was 
ever  most  inclined  to  gratify,  cried  out : “ Get  away  with 
you,  with  God’s  curse  on  you  ! Go,  make  the  bargain  ; I am 
willing  to  do  what  my  lady  Duchess  wishes.” 

From  this  incident  we  may  learn  to  know  how  evil  Fortune 
exerts  her  rage  against  a poor  right-minded  man,  and  how 
the  strumpet  Luck  can  help  a miserable  rascal.  I lost  the 
good  graces  of  the  Duchess  once  and  for  ever,  and  thereby 
went  close  to  having  the  Duke’s  protection  taken  from  me. 
He  acquired  that  thumping  fee  for  his  commission,  and  to 
boot  their  favour.  Thus  it  will  not  serve  us  in  this  world  to 
be  merely  men  of  honesty  and  talent. 


LXXXV 

About  this  time  the  war  of  Siena  broke  out,i  and  the  Duke, 
wishing  to  fortify  Florence,  distributed  the  gates  among  his 
architects  and  sculptors.  I received  the  Prato  gate  and  the 
little  one  of  Arno,  which  is  on  the  way  to  the  mills.  The 
Cavaliere  Bandinello  got  the  gate  of  San  Friano ; Pasqualino 
d’ Ancona,  the  gate  at  San  Pier  Gattolini ; Giulian  di  Baccio 
d’ Agnolo,  the  wood- carver,  had  the  gate  of  San  Giorgio  ; 
Particino,  the  wood-carver,  had  the  gate  of  Santo  Niccolo  ; 
Francesco  da  San  Gallo,  the  sculptor,  called  II  Margolla, 
got  the  gate  of  Santa  Croce ; and  Giovan  Battista,  surnamed 
11  Tasso,  the  gate  Pinti.'^  Other  bastions  and  gates  were 

^ In  the  year  1552,  when  Piero  Strozzi  acted  as  general  for  the  French 
King,  Henri  IL,  against  the  Spaniards.  The  war  ended  in  the  capitulation 
of  Siena  in  1555.  In  1557  it  was  ceded  by  Philip  II.  to  Cosimo  de’  Medici. 

^ These  artists,  with  the  exception  of  Pasqualino,  are  all  known  to  us  in 
the  conditions  described  by  Cellini.  Francesco  da  San  Gallo  was  the  son  ol 
Giuliano,  and  nephew  of  Antonio  da  San  Gallo.  ' 


400 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


assigned  to  divers  engineers,  whose  names  I do  not  recollect, 
nor  indeed  am  I concerned  with  them.  The  Duke,  who 
certainly  was  at  all  times  a man  of  great  ability,  went  round 
the  city  himself  upon  a tour  of  inspection,  and  when  he 
had  made  his  mind  up,  he  sent  for  Lattanzio  Gorini,  one  of 
his  paymasters.  Now  this  man  was  to  some  extent  an 
amateur  of  military  architecture  ; so  his  Excellency  com- 
missioned him  to  make  designs  for  the  fortifications  of  the 
gates,  and  sent  each  of  us  his  own  gate  drawn  according  to 
the  plan.  After  examining  the  plan  for  mine,  and  perceiving 
that  it  was  very  incorrect  in  many  details,  I took  it  and 
went  immediately  to  the  Duke.  When  I tried  to  point  out 
these  defects,  the  Duke  interrupted  me  and  exclaimed  with 
fury : “ Benvenuto,  I will  give  way  to  you  upon  the  point  of 
statuary,  but  in  this  art  of  fortification  I choose  that  you 
should  cede  to  me.  So  carry  out  the  design  which  I have 
given  you.’’  To  these  brave  words  I answered  as  gently  as 
I could,  and  said  : “ My  lord,  your  most  illustrious  Excellency 
has  taught  me  something  even  in  my  own  fine  art  of  statuary, 
inasmuch  as  we  have  always  exchanged  ideas  upon  that 
subject ; I beg  you  then  to  deign  to  listen  to  me  upon  this 
matter  of  your  fortifications,  which  is  far  more  important 
than  making  statues.  If  I am  permitted  to  discuss  it  also 
with  your  Excellency,  you  will  be  better  able  to  teach  me 
how  I have  to  serve  you.”  This  courteous  speech  of  mine 
induced  him  to  discuss  the  plans  with  me  ; and  when  I had 
clearly  demonstrated  that  they  were  not  conceived  on  a right 
method,  he  said  : “ Go,  then,  and  make  a design  yourself, 
and  I will  see  if  it  satisfies  me.”  Accordingly,  I made  two  de- 
signs according  to  the  right  principles  for  fortifying  those  two 
gates,  and  took  them  to  him  ; and  when  he  distinguished  the 
true  from  the  false  system,  he  exclaimed  good-humouredly  : 
‘‘Go  and  do  it  in  your  own  way,  for  I am  content  to  have 
it  so.”  I set  to  work  then  with  the  greatest  diligence. 


LXXXVI 

There  was  on  guard  at  the  gate  of  Prato  a certain  Lombard 
captain  ; he  was  a truculent  and  stalwart  fellow,  of  incredibly 
coarse  speech,  whose  presumption  matched  his  utter  igno- 
rance. This  man  began  at  once  to  ask  me  what  I was  about 


BOOK  SECOND 


401 


there.  I politely  exhibited  my  drawings,  and  took  infinite 
pains  to  make  him  understand  my  purpose.  The  rude  brute 
kept  rolling  his  head,  and  turning  first  to  one  side  and  then 
to  the  other,  shifting  himself  upon  his  legs,  and  twirling  his 
enormous  moustachios  ; then  he  drew  his  cap  down  over  his 
eyes  and  roared  out : “ Zounds  ! deuce  take  it ! I can  make 
nothing  of  this  rigmarole.’^  At  last  the  animal  became  so 
tiresome  that  I said  : “ Leave  it  then  to  me,  who  do  under- 
stand it,”  and  turned  my  shoulders  to  go  about  my  business. 
At  this  he  began  to  threaten  me  with  his  head,  and,  setting 
his  left  hand  on  the  pommel  of  his  sword,  tilted  the  point  up, 
and  exclaimed  : “ Hullo,  my  master  ! you  want  perhaps  to 
make  me  cross  blades  with  you  ? ” I faced  round  in  a great 
fury,  for  the  man  had  stirred  my  blood,  and  cried  out : “It 
would  be  less  trouble  to  run  you  through  the  body  than  to 
build  the  bastion  of  this  gate.”  In  an  instant  we  both  set 
hands  to  our  swords,  without  quite  drawing  ; for  a number  of 
honest  folk,  citizens  of  Florence,  and  others  of  them  courtiers, 
came  running  up.  The  greater  part  of  them  rated  the  captain, 
telling  him  that  he  was  in  the  wrong,  that  I was  a man  to  give 
him  back  as  good  as  I got,  and  that  if  this  came  to  the  Duke’s 
ears,  it  would  be  the  worse  for  him.  Accordingly  he  went  off 
on  his  own  business,  and  I began  with  my  bastion. 

After  setting  things  in  order  there,  I proceeded  to  the  other 
little  gate  of  Arno,  where  I found  a captain  from  Cesena, 
the  most  polite,  well-mannered  man  I ever  knew  in  that  pro- 
fession. He  had  the  air  of  a gentle  young  lady,  but  at  need 
he  could  prove  himself  one  of  the  boldest  and  bloodiest 
fighters  in  the  world.  This  agreeable  gentleman  observed 
me  so  attentively  that  he  made  me  bashful  and  self-conscious  ; 
and  seeing  that  he  wanted  to  understand  what  I was  doing, 
I courteously  explained  my  plans.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  we 
vied  with  each  other  in  civilities,  which  made  me  do  far  better 
with  this  bastion  than  with  the  other. 

I had  nearly  finished  the  two  bastions  when  an  inroad  of 
Piero  Strozzi’s  people  struck  such  terror  into  the  country-folk 
of  Prato  that  they  began  to  leave  it  in  a body,  and  all  their 
carts,  laden  with  the  household  goods  of  each  family,  came 
crowding  into  the  city.  The  number  of  them  was  so  enor- 
mous, cart  jostling  with  cart,  and  the  confusion  was  so  great, 
that  I told  the  guards  to  look  out  lest  the  same  misadventure 
should  happen  at  this  gate  as  had  occurred  at  the  gates  of 

2 c 


402 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


Turin  ; for  if  we  had  once  cause  to  lower  the  portcullis,  it 
would  not  be  able  to  perform  its  functions,  but  must  inevitably 
stick  suspended  upon  one  of  the  waggons.  When  that  big 
brute  of  a captain  heard  these  words,  he  replied  with  insults, 
and  I retorted  in  the  same  tone.  We  were  on  the  point  of 
coming  to  a far  worse  quarrel  than  before.  However,  the  folk 
kept  us  asunder  ; and  when  I had  hnished  my  bastions,  I 
touched  some  score  of  crowns,  which  I had  not  expected,  and 
which  were  uncommonly  welcome.  So  1 returned  with  a 
blithe  heart  to  finish  my  Perseus. 


LXXXVII 

During  those  days  some  antiquities  had  been  discovered  in 
the  country  round  Arezzo.  Among  them  was  the  Chinicera, 
that  bronze  lion  which  is  to  be  seen  in  the  rooms  adjacent 
to  the  great  hall  of  the  palace.^  Together  with  the  Chimmra 
a number  of  little  statuettes,  likewise  in  bronze,  had  been 
brought  to  light ; they  were  covered  with  earth  and  rust,  and 
each  of  them  lacked  either  head  or  hands  or  feet.  The  Duke 
amused  his  leisure  hours  by  cleaning  up  these  statuettes  him- 
self with  certain  little  chisels  used  by  goldsmiths.  It  happened 
on  one  occasion  that  I had  to  speak  on  business  to  his  Excel- 
lency ; and  while  we  were  talking,  he  reached  me  a little 
hammer,  with  which  I struck  the  chisels  the  Duke  held,  and 
so  the  figures  were  disengaged  from  their  earth  and  rust.  In 
this  way  we  passed  several  evenings,  and  then  the  Duke  com- 
missioned me  to  restore  the  statuettes.  He  took  so  much 
pleasure  in  these  trifles  that  he  made  me  work  by  day  also, 
and  if  I delayed  coming,  he  used  to  send  for  me.  I very  often 
submitted  to  his  Excellency  that  if  I left  my  Perseus  in  the 
daytime,  several  bad  consequences  would  ensue.  The  first  of 
these,  which  caused  me  the  greatest  anxiety,  was  that,  seeing 
me  spend  so  long  a time  upon  my  statue,  the  Duke  himself 
might  get  disgusted  ; which  indeed  did  afterwards  happen. 
The  other  was  that  I had  several  journeymen  who  in  my 
absence  were  up  to  two  kinds  of  mischief ; first,  they  spoilt 
my  piece,  and  then  they  did  as  little  work  as  possible.  These 
arguments  made  his  Excellency  consent  that  I should  only  go 
to  the  palace  after  twenty-four  o’clock. 

^ Now  in  the  Uffizzi. 


BOOK  SECOND 


403 


I had  now  conciliated  the  affection  of  his  Excellency  to 
such  an  extent,  that  every  evening  when  I came  to  him  he 
treated  me  with  greater  kindness.  About  this  time  the  new 
apartments  were  built  toward  the  lions  ; ^ the  Duke  then 
wishing  to  be  able  to  retire  into  a less  public  part  of  the 
palace,  fitted  up  for  himself  a little  chamber  in  these  new 
lodgings,  and  ordered  me  approach  to  it  by  a private  passage. 
I had  to  pass  through  his  wardrobe,  then  across  the  stage 
of  the  great  hall,  and  afterwards  through  certain  little  dark 
galleries  and  cabinets.  The  Duchess,  however,  after  a few 
days,  deprived  me  of  this  means  of  access  by  having  all  the 
doors  upon  the  path  I had  to  traverse  locked  up.  The  con- 
sequence was  that  every  evening  when  I arrived  at  the  palace, 
I had  to  wait  a long  while,  because  the  Duchess  occupied  the 
cabinets  for  her  personal  necessities.^  Her  habit  of  body 
was  unhealthy,  and  so  I never  came  without  incommoding 
her.  This  and  other  causes  made  her  hate  the  very  sight  of 
me.  However,  notwithstanding  great  discomforts  and  daily 
annoyances,  I persevered  in  going.  The  Duke’s  orders, 
meanwhile,  were  so  precise,  that  no  sooner  did  I knock  at 
those  doors,  than  they  were  immediately  opened,  and  I was 
allowed  to  pass  freely  where  I chose.  The  consequence  was 
that  occasionally,  while  walking  noiselessly  and  unexpectedly 
through  the  private  rooms,  I came  upon  the  Duchess  at  a 
highly  inconvenient  moment.  Bursting  then  into  such  a 
furious  storm  of  rage  that  I was  frightened,  she  cried  out : 
“ When  will  you  ever  finish  mending  up  those  statuettes  ? 
Upon  my  word,  this  perpetual  going  and  coming  of  yours 
has  grown  to  be  too  great  a nuisance.”  I replied  as  gently 
as  I could:  “My  lady  and  sole  mistress,  I have  no  other 
desire  than  to  serve  you  loyally  and  with  the  strictest  obedi- 
ence. This  work  to  which  the  Duke  has  put  me  will  last 
several  months ; so  tell  me,  most  illustrious  Excellency, 
whether  you  wish  me  not  to  come  here  any  more.  In  that 
case  I will  not  come,  whoever  calls  me  ; nay,  should  the 
Duke  himself  send  for  me,  I shall  reply  that  I am  ill,  and  by 
no  means  will  I intrude  again.”  To  this  speech  she  made 
answer : “ I do  not  bid  you  not  to  come,  nor  do  I bid  you  to 

^ Lions  from  a very  early  period  had  always  been  kept  in  part  of  the 
Palazzo  Vecchio. 

^ Alle  sue  comoditd. 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


404 

disobey  the  Duke  ; but  I repeat  that  your  work  seems  to 
me  as  though  it  would  never  be  finished.’’ 

Whether  the  Duke  heard  something  of  this  encounter,  or 
whatever  the  cause  was,  he  began  again  as  usual.  Toward 
twenty -four  o’clock  he  sent  for  me;  and  his  messenger 
always  spoke  to  this  effect : “ Take  good  care,  and  do  not 
fail  to  come,  for  the  Duke  is  waiting  for  you.”  In  this  way 
I continued,  always  with  the  same  inconveniences,  to  put 
in  an  appearance  on  several  successive  evenings.  Upon  one 
occasion  among  others,  arriving  in  my  customary  way,  the 
Duke,  who  had  probably  been  talking  with  the  Duchess 
about  private  matters,  turned  upon  me  in  a furious  anger. 
I was  terrified,  and  wanted  to  retire.  But  he  called  out : 
“ Come  in,  friend  Benvenuto ; go  to  your  affairs ; I will 
rejoin  you  in  a few  moments.”  While  I was  passing  on- 
ward, Don  Garzia,  then  quite  a little  fellow,  plucked  me  by 
the  cape,  and  played  with  me  as  prettily  as  such  a child 
could  do.  The  Duke  looked  up  delighted,  and  exclaimed  : 
“What  pleasant  and  friendly  terms  my  boys  are  on  with 
you  ! ” 


LXXXVIII 

While  I was  working  at  these  bagatelles,  the  Prince,  and 
Don  Giovanni,  and  Don  Arnando,  and  Don  Garzia  kept 
always  hovering  around  me,  teasing  me  whenever  the  Duke’s 
eyes  were  turned.^  I begged  them  for  mercy’s  sake  to  hold 
their  peace.  They  answered  : “ That  we  cannot  do.”  I 
told  them  : “ What  one  cannot  is  required  of  no  one  ! So 
have  your  will ! Along  with  you  ! ” At  this  both  Duke  and 
Duchess  burst  out  laughing. 

Another  evening,  after  I had  finished  the  small  bronze 
figures  which  are  wrought  into  the  pedestal  of  Perseus,  that 
is  to  say,  the  Jupiter,  Mercury,  Minerva,  and  Dance,  with 
the  little  Perseus  seated  at  his  mother’s  feet,  I had  them 
carried  into  the  room  where  I was  wont  to  work,  and 
arranged  them  in  a row,  raised  somewhat  above  the  line  of 
vision,  so  that  they  produced  a magnificent  effect.  The 
Duke  heard  of  this,  and  made  his  entrance  sooner  than 
usual.  It  seems  that  the  person  who  informed  his  Excel- 

^ The  Prince  was  Don  Francesco,  then  aged  twelve  ; Don  Giovanni  was 
ten,  Don  Garzia  was  six,  and  Don  Ferdinando  four. 


BOOK  SECOND 


405 


lency  praised  them  above  their  merit,  using  terms  like  “far 
superior  to  the  ancients,”  and  so  forth  ; wherefore  the  Duke 
came  talking  pleasantly  with  the  Duchess  about  my  doings. 
I rose  at  once  and  went  to  meet  them.  With  his  fine  and 
truly  princely  manner  he  received  me,  lifting  his  right  hand, 
in  which  he  held  as  superb  a pear-graft  as  could  possibly 
be  seen.  “ Take  it,  my  Benvenuto  ! ” he  exclaimed  ; “ plant 
this  pear  in  your  garden.”  To  these  words  I replied  with 
a delighted  gesture : “ O my  lord,  does  your  most  illus- 
trious Excellency  really  mean  that  I should  plant  it  in  the 
garden  of  my  house  ? ” “ Yes,”  he  said,  “ in  the  garden  of  the 
house  which  belongs  to  you.  Have  you  understood  me  ? ” 
I thanked  his  Excellency,  and  the  Duchess  in  like  manner, 
with  the  best  politeness  I could  use. 

After  this  they  both  took  seats  in  front  of  the  statues,  and 
for  more  than  two  hours  went  on  talking  about  nothing  but 
the  beauties  of  the  work.  The  Duchess  was  wrought  up  to 
such  an  enthusiasm  that  she  cried  out : “ I do  not  like  to 
let  those  exquisite  figures  be  wasted  on  the  pedestal  down 
there  in  the  piazza,  where  they  will  run  the  risk  of  being 
injured.  I would  much  rather  have  you  fix  them  in  one  of 
my  apartments,  where  they  will  be  preserved  with  the  respect 
due  to  their  singular  artistic  qualities.”  I opposed  this  plan 
with  many  forcible  arguments ; but  when  I saw  that  she  was 
determined  I should  not  place  them  on  the  pedestal  where 
they  now  stand,  I waited  till  next  day,  and  went  to  the  palace 
about  twenty-two  oYlock.  Ascertaining  that  the  Duke  and 
Duchess  were  out  riding,  and  having  already  prepared  the 
pedestal,  I had  the  statues  carried  down,  and  soldered  them 
with  lead  into  their  proper  niches.  Oh,  when  the  Duchess 
knew  of  this,  how  angry  she  was  ! Had  it  not  been  for  the 
Duke,  who  manfully  defended  me,  I should  have  paid  dearly 
for  my  daring.  Her  indignation  about  the  pearls,  and  now 
again  about  this  matter  of  the  statues,  made  her  so  contrive 
that  the  Duke  abandoned  his  amusements  in  our  workshop. 
Consequently  I went  there  no  more,  and  was  met  again  with 
the  same  obstructions  as  formerly  whenever  I wanted  to 
gain  access  to  the  palace. 


4o6 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


LXXXIX 

I returned  to  the  Loggia,^  whither  my  Perseus  had  already 
been  brought,  and  went  on  putting  the  last  touches  to  my 
work,  under  the  old  difficulties  always  ; that  is  to  sa}^,  lack 
of  money,  and  a hundred  untoward  accidents,  the  half  of 
which  would  have  cowed  a man  armed  with  adamant. 

However,  I pursued  my  course  as  usual  ; and  one  morn- 
ing, after  I had  heard  mass  at  San  Piero  Scheraggio,  that 
brute  Bernardone,  broker,  worthless  goldsmith,  and  by  the 
Duke’s  grace  purveyor  to  the  mint,  passed  by  me.  No 
sooner  had  he  got  outside  the  church  than  the  dirty  pig  let 
fly  four  cracks  which  might  have  been  heard  from  San 
Miniato.  I cried  : “Yah  ! pig,  poltroon,  donkey  ! is  that  the 
noise  your  filthy  talents  make  ? ” and  ran  off  for  a cudgel. 
He  took  refuge  on  the  instant  in  the  mint ; while  I stationed 
myself  inside  my  house- door,  which  I left  ajar,  setting  a boy 
at  watch  upon  the  street  to  warn  me  when  the  pig  should 
leave  the  mint.  After  waiting  some  time,  I grew  tired,  and 
my  heat  cooled.  Reflecting,  then,  that  blows  are  not  dealt 
by  contract,  and  that  some  disaster  might  ensue,  I resolved 
to  wreak  my  vengeance  by  another  method.  The  incident 
took  place  about  the  feast  of  our  San  Giovanni,  one  or  two 
days  before  ; so  I composed  four  verses,  and  stuck  them  up 
in  an  angle  of  the  church  where  people  go  to  ease  them- 
selves. The  verses  ran  as  follows  : — 

“ Here  lieth  Bernardone,  ass  and  pig, 

Spy,  broker,  thief,  in  whom  Pandora  planted 
All  her  worst  evils,  and  from  thence  transplanted 
Into  that  brute  Buaccio’s  carcass  big.”^ 

Both  the  incident  and  the  verses  went  the  round  of  the 
palace,  giving  the  Duke  and  Duchess  much  amusement. 
But,  before  the  man  himself  knew  what  I had  been  up  to, 
crowds  of  people  stopped  to  read  the  lines  and  laughed 
immoderately  at  them.  Since  they  were  looking  towards  the 

^ That  is,  the  Loggia  de’  Lanzi,  on  the  great  piazza  of  Florence,  where 
Cellini’s  statue  still  stands. 

If  I understand  the  obscure  lines  of  the  original,  Cellini  wanted  to  kill 
two  birds  with  one  stone  by  this  epigram — both  Bernardone  and  his  son 
Baccio.  But  by  Buaccio  he  generally  means  Baccio  Bandinelli, 


BOOK  SECOND 


407 


mint  and  fixing  their  eyes  on  Bernardone,  his  son,  Maestro 
Baccio,  taking  notice  of  their  gestures,  tore  the  paper  down 
with  fury.  The  elder  bit  his  thumb,  shrieking  threats  out 
with  that  hideous  voice  of  his,  which  comes  forth  through 
his  nose  ; indeed  he  made  a brave  defiance/ 


XC 

When  the  Duke  was  informed  that  the  whole  of  my  work 
for  the  Perseus  could  be  exhibited  as  finished,  he  came  one 
day  to  look  at  it.  His  manner  showed  clearly  that  it  gave 
him  great  satisfaction  ; but  afterwards  he  turned  to  some 
gentlemen  attending  him  and  said  : “ Although  this  statue 
seems  in  our  eyes  a very  fine  piece,  still  it  has  yet  to  win 
the  favour  of  the  people.  Therefore,  my  Benvenuto,  before 
you  put  the  very  last  touches  on,  I should  like  you,  for  my 
sake,  to  remove  a part  of  the  scaffolding  on  the  side  of  the 
piazza,  some  day  toward  noon,  in  order  that  we  may  learn 
what  folk  think  of  it.  There  is  no  doubt  that  when  it  is 
thrown  open  to  space  and  light,  it  will  look  very  differently 
from  what  it  does  in  this  enclosure.”  I replied  with  ail 
humility  to  his  Excellency:  “You  must  know,  my  lord, 
that  it  will  make  more  than  twice  as  good  a show.  Oh, 
how  is  it  that  your  most  illustrious  Excellency  has  forgotten 
seeing  it  in  the  garden  of  my  house?  There,  in  that  large 
extent  of  space,  it  showed  so  bravely  that  Bandinello,  coming 
through  the  garden  of  the  Innocents  to  look  at  it,  was  com- 
pelled, in  spite  of  his  evil  and  malignant  nature,  to  praise  it, 
he  who  never  praised  aught  or  any  one  in  all  his  life  ! I 
perceive  that  your  Excellency  lends  too  ready  an  ear  to  that 
fellow.”  When  I had  done  speaking,  he  smiled  ironically 
and  a little  angrily ; yet  he  replied  with  great  kindness : “ Do 
what  I ask,  my  Benvenuto,  just  to  please  me.” 

When  the  Duke  had  left,  I gave  orders  to  have  the  screen 
removed.  Yet  some  trifles  of  gold,  varnish,  and  various 
other  little  finishings  were  still  wanting ; wherefore  I began 
to  murmur  and  complain  indignantly,  cursing  the  unhappy 
day  which  brought  me  to  Florence.  Too  well  I knew 
already  the  great  and  irreparable  sacrifice  I made  when  I 

^ To  bite  the  thumb  at  any  one  was,  as  students  of  our  old  drama  know, 
a sign  of  challenge  or  provocation. 


4o8 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


left  France  ; nor  could  I discover  any  reasonable  ground 
for  hope  that  I might  prosper  in  the  future  with  my 
prince  and  patron.  From  the  commencement  to  the  middle 
and  the  ending,  ever3dhing  that  I had  done  had  been 
performed  to  my  great  disadvantage.  Therefore,  it  was 
with  deep  ill-humour  that  I disclosed  my  statue  on  the 
following  day. 

Now  it  pleased  God  that,  on  the  instant  of  its  exposure 
to  view,  a shout  of  boundless  enthusiasm  went  up  in  com- 
mendation of  my  work,  which  consoled  me  not  a little. 
The  folk  kept  on  attaching  sonnets  to  the  posts  of  the  door, 
which  was  protected  with  a curtain  while  I gave  the  last 
touches  to  the  statue.  I believe  that  on  the  same  day 
when  I opened  it  a few  hours  to  the  public,  more  than 
twenty  were  nailed  up,  all  of  them  overflowing  with  the 
highest  panegyrics.  Afterwards,  when  I once  more  shut  it 
off  from  view,  every  day  brought  sonnets,  with  Latin  and 
Greek  verses  ; for  the  University  of  Pisa  was  then  in  vaca- 
tion, and  all  the  doctors  and  scholars  kept  vying  with  each 
other  who  could  praise  it  best.  But  what  gratified  me 
most,  and  inspired  me  with  most  hope  of  the  Duke’s  sup- 
port, was  that  the  artists,  sculptors  and  painters  alike, 
entered  into  the  same  generous  competition.  I set  the 
highest  value  on  the  eulogies  of  that  excellent  painter 
Jacopo  Pontormo,  and  still  more  on  those  of  his  able  pupil 
Bronzino,  who  was  not  satisfied  with  merely  publishing  his 
verses,  but  sent  them  by  his  lad  Sandrino’s  hand  to  my 
own  house.^  They  spoke  so  generously  of  my  performance, 
in  that  fine  style  of  his  which  is  most  exquisite,  that  this 
alone  repaid  me  somewhat  for  the  pain  of  my  long  troubles. 
So  then  I closed  the  screen,  and  once  more  set  m.yself  to 
finishing  my  statue. 


XCI 

The  great  compliments  which  this  short  inspection  of  my 
Perseus  had  elicited  from  the  noble  school  of  Florence,  though 

^ Jacopo  Carrucci  da  Pontormo  was  now  an  old  man.  He  died  in  155^? 
aged  sixty-five  years.  Angelo  Allori,  called  II  Bronzino,  one  of  the  last 
fairly  good  Florentine  painters,  won  considerable  distinction  as  a writer  of 
burlesque  poems.  He  died  in  1571,  aged  sixty-nine  years.  We  possess  his 
sonnets  on  the  Perseus. 


BOOK  SECOND 


409 


they  were  well  known  to  the  Duke,  did  not  prevent  him  from 
saying  : “ I am  delighted  that  Benvenuto  has  had  this  trifling 
satisfaction,  which  will  spur  him  on  to  the  desired  conclusion 
with  more  speed  and  diligence.  Do  not,  however,  let  him 
imagine  that,  when  his  Perseus  shall  be  finally  exposed  to  view 
from  all  sides,  folk  in  general  will  be  so  lavish  of  their  praises. 
On  the  contrary,  I am  afraid  that  all  its  defects  will  then  be 
brought  home  to  him,  and  more  will  be  detected  than  the 
statue  really  has.  So  let  him  arm  himself  with  patience.” 
These  were  precisely  the  words  which  Bandinello  had  whis- 
pered in  the  Duke’s  ears,  citing  the  works  of  Andrea  del 
Verrocchio,  who  made  that  fine  bronze  of  Christ  and  S.  Thomas 
on  the  front  of  Orsammichele  ; at  the  same  time  he  referred 
to  many  other  statues,  and  dared  even  to  attack  the  marvellous 
David  of  divine  Michel  Agnolo  Buonarroti,  accusing  it  of  only 
looking  well  if  seen  in  front ; finally,  he  touched  upon  the 
multitude  of  sarcastic  sonnets  which  were  called  forth  by 
his  own  Hercules  and  Cacus,  and  wound  up  with  abusing  the 
people  of  Florence.  Now  the  Duke,  who  was  too  much  in- 
clined to  credit  his  assertions,  encouraged  the  fellow  to  speak 
thus,  and  thought  in  his  own  heart  that  things  would  go  as 
he  had  prophesied,  because  that  envious  creature  Bandinello 
never  ceased  insinuating  malice.  On  one  occasion  it  happened 
that  the  gallows  bird  Bernardone,  the  broker,  was  present  at 
these  conversations,  and  in  support  of  Bandinello’s  calumnies, 
he  said  to  the  Duke:  “You  must  remember,  prince,  that 
statues  on  a large  scale  are  quite  a different  dish  of  soup  from 
little  figures.  I do  not  refuse  him  the  credit  of  being  excellent 
at  statuettes  in  miniature.  But  you  will  soon  see  that  he 
cannot  succeed  in  that  other  sphere  of  art.”  To  these  vile 
suggestions  he  added  many  others  of  all  sorts,  plying  his 
spy’s  office,  and  piling  up  a mountain  of  lies  to  boot. 


XCII 

Now  it  pleased  my  glorious  Lord  and  immortal  God  that  at 
last  I brought  the  whole  work  to  completion  : and  on  a certain 
Thursday  morning  I exposed  it  to  the  public  gaze.^  Immedi- 
ately, before  the  sun  was  fully  in  the  heavens,  there  assembled 
such  a multitude  of  people  that  no  words  could  describe  them. 

1 April  27,  1554. 


410 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


All  with  one  voice  contended  which  should  praise  it  most. 
The  Duke  was  stationed  at  a window  low  upon  the  first  floor 
of  the  palace,  just  above  the  entrance  ; there,  half  hidden,  he 
heard  everything  the  folk  were  saying  of  my  statue.  After 
listening  through  several  hours,  he  rose  so  proud  and  happy 
in  his  heart  that  he  turned  to  his  attendant,  Messer  Sforza,  and 
exclaimed:  “Sforza,  go  and  seek  out  Benvenuto;  tell  him 
from  me  that  he  has  delighted  me  far  more  than  I expected  : 
say  too  that  I shall  reward  him  in  a way  which  will  astonish 
him  ; so  bid  him  be  of  good  courage.” 

In  due  course,  Messer  Sforza  discharged  this  glorious 
embassy,  which  consoled  me  greatly.  I passed  a happy  day, 
partly  because  of  the  Duke’s  message,  and  also  because  the 
folk  kept  pointing  me  out  as  something  marvellous  and 
strange.  Among  the  many  who  did  so,  were  two  gentlemen, 
deputed  by  the  Viceroy  of  Sicily  ^ to  our  Duke  on  public 
business.  Now  these  two  agreeable  persons  met  me  upon 
the  piazza  : I had  been  shown  them  in  passing,  and  now  they 
made  monstrous  haste  to  catch  me  up  ; then,  with  caps  in 
hand,  they  uttered  an  oration  so  ceremonious,  that  it  would 
have  been  excessive  for  a Pope.  I bowed,  with  every  pro- 
testation of  humility.  They  meanwhile  continued  loading 
me  with  compliments,  until  at  last  I prayed  them,  for  kind- 
ness’ sake,  to  leave  the  piazza  in  my  company,  because  the 
folk  were  stopping  and  staring  at  me  more  than  at  my 
Perseus.  In  the  midst  of  all  these  ceremonies,  they  went 
so  far  as  to  propose  that  I should  come  to  Sicily,  and  offered 
to  make  terms  which  should  content  me.  They  told  me  how 
Fra  Giovan  Agnolo  de’  Servi^  had  constructed  a fountain  for 
them,  complete  in  all  its  parts,  and  decorated  with  a multi- 
tude of  figures  ; but  it  was  not  in  the  same  good  style  they 
recognised  in  Perseus,  and  yet  they  had  heaped  riches  on  the 
man.  I would  not  suffer  them  to  finish  all  their  speeches, 
but  answered:  “You  give  me  much  cause  for  wonder, 
seeking  as  you  do  to  make  me  quit  the  service  of  a prince 
who  is  the  greatest  patron  of  the  arts  that  ever  lived  ; and  I 
too  here  in  my  own  birthplace,  famous  as  the  school  of  every 
art  and  science  ! Oh,  if  my  soul’s  desire  had  been  set  on 

^ Don  Juan  de  Vega, 

2 Giovanni  Angelo  Montorsoli  entered  the  Order  of  the  Servites  in  1530. 
This  did  not  prevent  him  from  plying  his  profession  of  sculptor.  The  work 
above  alluded  to  is  the  fountain  at  Messina. 


BOOK  SECOND 


411 

lucre,  I could  have  stayed  in  France,  with  that  great  monarch 
Francis,  who  gave  me  a thousand  golden  crowns  a year  for 
board,  and  paid  me  in  addition  the  price  of  all  my  labour. 
In  his  service  I gained  more  than  four  thousand  golden 
crowns  the  year.” 

With  these  and  such-like  words  I cut  their  ceremonies 
short,  thanking  them  for  the  high  praises  they  had  bestowed 
upon  me,  which  were  indeed  the  best  reward  that  artists 
could  receive  for  their  labours.  I told  them  they  had  greatly 
stimulated  my  zeal,  so  that  I hoped,  after  a few  years  were 
passed,  to  exhibit  another  masterpiece,  which  I dared  believe 
would  yield  far  truer  satisfaction  to  our  noble  school  of 
Florence.  The  two  gentlemen  were  eager  to  resume  the 
thread  of  their  complimentary  proposals,  whereupon  I,  lift- 
ing my  cap  and  making  a profound  bow,  bade  them  a polite 
farewell. 


XCIII 

When  two  more  days  had  passed,  and  the  chorus  of  praise 
was  ever  on  the  increase,  I resolved  to  go  and  present  myself 
to  the  Duke,  who  said  with  great  good-humour : “ My  Ben- 
venuto, you  have  satisfied  and  delighted  me  ; but  I promise 
that  I will  reward  you  in  such  wise  as  will  make  you  wonder  ; 
and  I tell  you  that  I do  not  mean  to  delay  beyond  to- 
morrow.” On  hearing  this  most  welcome  assurance,  I turned 
all  the  forces  of  my  soul  and  body  to  God,  fervently  offering 
up  thanks  to  Him.  At  the  same  moment  I approached  the 
Duke,  and  almost  weeping  for  gladness,  kissed  his  robe. 
Then  I added : “ O my  glorious  prince,  true  and  most 
generous  lover  of  the  arts,  and  of  those  who  exercise  them  ! 
I entreat  5^our  most  illustrious  Excellency  to  allow  me  eight 
days  first  to  go  and  return  thanks  to  God  ; for  I alone  know 
what  travail  I have  endured,  and  that  my  earnest  faith  has 
moved  Him  to  assist  me.  In  gratitude  for  this  and  all  other 
marvellous  mercies,  I should  like  to  travel  eight  days  on 
pilgrimage,  continually  thanking  my  immortal  God,  who 
never  fails  to  help  those  who  call  upon  Him  with  sincerity.” 
The  Duke  then  asked  me  where  I wished  to  go.  I answered  : 
“ To-morrow  I shall  set  out  for  Vallombrosa,  thence  to  Camal- 
doli  and  the  Ermo,  afterwards  I shall  proceed  to  the  Bagni  di 
Santa  Maria,  and  perhaps  so  far  as  Sestile,  because  I hear  of 


412 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


line  antiquities  to  be  seen  there.^  Then  I shall  retrace  my 
steps  by  San  Francesco  della  Vernia,  and,  still  with  thanks 
to  God,  return  light-hearted  to  your  service.’^  The  Duke 
replied  at  once  with  cheerful  kindness  : “ Go  and  come  back 
again,  for  of  a truth  you  please  me  ; but  do  not  forget  to  send 
a couple  of  lines  by  way  of  memorandum,  and  leave  the  rest 
to  me.” 

I wrote  four  lines  that  very  day,  in  which  I thanked  his 
Excellency  for  expected  favours,  and  gave  these  to  Messer 
Sforza,  who  placed  them  in  the  Duke’s  hands.  The  latter 
took  them,  and  then  handed  them  to  Messer  Sforza,  remark- 
ing : “ See  that  you  put  these  lines  each  day  where  I can 
see  them;  for  if  Benvenuto  comes  back  and  finds  I have 
not  despatched  his  business,  I think  that  he  will  murder  me.” 
Thus  laughing,  his  Excellency  asked  to  be  reminded.  Messer 
Sforza  reported  these  precise  words  to  me  on  the  same  even- 
ing, laughing  too  and  expressing  wonder  at  the  great  favour 
shown  me  by  the  Duke.  He  pleasantl};^  added  : “ Go,  Ben- 
venuto, and  come  again  quickly,  for  indeed  I am  jealous  of 
you.” 


XCIV 

In  God’s  name  then  I left  Florence,  continually  singing 
psalms  and  prayers  in  His  honour  upon  all  that  journey.  I 
enjoyed  it  extremely ; for  the  season  was  fine,  in  early 
summer,  and  the  country  through  which  I travelled,  and  which 
I had  never  seen  before,  struck  me  as  marvellously  beautiful. 
Now  I had  taken  with  me  to  serve  as  guide  a young  workman 
in  my  employ,  who  came  from  Bagno,  and  was  called  Cesare. 
Thanks  to  him,  then,  I received  the  kindest  hospitality  from 
his  father  and  all  his  family,  among  whom  was  an  old  man 
of  more  than  seventy,  extremely  pleasant  in  his  conversation. 
He  was  Cesare’s  uncle,  a surgeon  by  profession,  and  a dabbler 
in  alchemy.  This  excellent  person  made  me  observe  that  the 
Bagni  contained  mines  of  gold  and  silver,  and  showed  me 
many  interesting  objects  in  the  neighbourhood  ; so  that  I 
enjoyed  myself  as  much  as  I have  ever  done. 

One  day,  when  we  had  become  intimate  and  he  could  trust 
me,  he  spoke  as  follows  : “I  must  not  omit  to  tell  you  a 
thought  of  mine,  to  which  his  Excellency  might  with  advan- 

^ The  Ermo  is  more  correctly  Eremo,  and  Vernia  is  Alvernia. 


BOOK  SECOND 


413 


tage  pay  attention.  It  is,  that  not  far  from  Camaldoli  there  lies 
a mountain  pass  so  ill  defended,  that  Piero  Strozzi  could  not 
only  cross  it  without  risk,  but  might  also  seize  on  Poppi^ 
unmolested.^’  Not  satisfied  with  this  description,  he  also 
took  a sheet  of  paper  from  his  pouch,  upon  which  the  good 
old  man  had  drawn  the  whole  country,  so  that  the  seriousness 
of  the  danger  could  be  manifest  upon  inspection  of  the  map. 
1 took  the  design  and  left  Bagno  at  once,  travelling  home- 
ward as  fast  as  I could  by  Prato  Magno  and  San  Francesco 
della  Vernia.  On  reaching  Florence,  I only  stopped  to  draw 
off  my  riding-boots,  and  hurried  to  the  palace.  Just  opposite 
the  Badia  I met  the  Duke,  who  was  coming  by  the  palace  of 
the  Podesta.  When  he  saw  me  he  gave  me  a very  gracious 
reception,  and  showing  some  surprise,  exclaimed  : “ Why 
have  you  come  back  so  quickly  ; I did  not  expect  you  for 
eight  days  at  least.”  I answered  : “ The  service  of  your 
most  illustrious  Excellency  brings  me  back,  else  I should  very 
willingly  have  stayed  some  few  days  longer  on  my  journey 
through  that  lovely  country.”  “Well,  and  what  good  news 
have  you  ? ” said  he.  I answered  : “ Prince,  I must  talk  to  you 
about  things  of  the  greatest  importance  which  I have  to  dis- 
close.” So  I followed  him  to  the  palace,  and  when  we  were 
there,  he  took  me  privately  into  a chamber  where  we  stayed 
a while  alone  together.  I then  unfolded  the  whole  matter 
and  showed  him  the  little  map,  with  which  he  seemed  to  be 
much  gratified.  When  I told  his  Excellency  that  one  ought 
to  take  measures  at  once,  he  reflected  for  a little  while  and 
then  said  : “ I may  inform  you  that  we  have  agreed  with 
the  Duke  of  Urbino  that  he  should  guard  the  pass  ; but  do 
not  speak  about  it.”  Then  he  dismissed  me  with  great 
demonstrations  of  good-will,  and  I went  home. 


XCV 

Next  day  I presented  myself,  and,  after  a few  words  of  con- 
versation, the  Duke  addressed  me  cheerfully:  “To-morrow, 
without  fail,  I mean  to  despatch  your  business  ; set  your  mind 
at  rest,  then.”  I,  who  felt  sure  that  he  meant  what  he  said, 
waited  with  great  impatience  for  the  morrow.  When  the 

^ A village  in  the  Castenino.  Piero  Strozzi  was  at  this  time  in  Valdi- 
chiana. 


414 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


longed-for  clay  arrived,  I betook  me  to  the  palace  ; and  as  it 
always  happens  that  evil  tidings  travel  faster  than  good  news, 
Messer  Giacopo  Guidi,i  secretary  to  his  Excellency,  called  me 
with  his  wry  mouth  and  haughty  voice  ; drawing  himself  up 
as  stiff  as  a poker,  he  began  to  speak  to  this  effect:  “The 
Duke  says  he  wants  you  to  tell  him  how  much  you  ask  for 
your  Perseus.’’  I remained  dumbfounded  and  astonished  ; 
yet  I quickly  replied  that  it  was  not  my  custom  to  put  prices 
on  my  work,  and  that  this  was  not  what  his  Excellency  had 
promised  me  two  days  ago.  The  man  raised  his  voice,  and 
ordered  me  expressly  in  the  Duke’s  name,  under  the  penalty 
of  his  severe  displeasure,  to  say  how  much  I wanted.  Now  I 
had  hoped  not  only  to  gain  some  handsome  reward,  trusting 
to  the  mighty  signs  of  kindness  shown  me  by  the  Duke,  but 
I had  still  more  expected  to  secure  the  entire  good  graces  of 
his  Excellency,  seeing  I never  asked  for  anything,  but  only 
for  his  favour.  Accordingly,  this  wholly  unexpected  way  of 
dealing  with  me  put  me  in  a fury,  and  I was  especially  en- 
raged by  the  manner  which  that  venomous  toad  assumed  in 
discharging  his  commission.  I exclaimed  that  if  the  Duke 
gave  me  ten  thousand  crowns  I should  not  be  paid  enough, 
and  that  if  I had  ever  thought  things  would  come  to  this 
haggling,  I should  not  have  settled  in  his  service.  There- 
upon the  surly  fellow  began  to  abuse  me,  and  I gave  it  him 
back  again. 

Upon  the  following  day,  when  I paid  my  respects  to  the 
Duke,  he  beckoned  to  me.  I approached,  and  he  exclaimed  in 
anger  : “ Cities  and  great  palaces  are  built  with  ten  thousands 
of  ducats.”  I rejoined  : “ Your  Excellency  can  find  multitudes 
of  men  who  are  able  to  build  you  cities  and  palaces,  but  you 
will  not,  perhaps,  find  one  man  in  the  world  who  could  make 
a second  Perseus.”  Then  I took  my  leave  without  saying  or 
doing  anything  farther.  A few  days  afterwards  the  Duchess 
sent  for  me,  and  advised  me  to  put  my  difference  with  the 
Duke  into  her  hands,  since  she  thought  she  could  conduct  the 
business  to  my  satisfaction.  On  hearing  these  kindly  words 
I replied  that  I had  never  asked  any  other  recompense  for 
my  labours  than  the  good  graces  of  the  Duke,  and  that  his 
most  illustrious  Excellency  had  assured  me  of  this  ; it  was 

^ It  appears  from  a letter  written  by  GiiidI  to  Bandinelli  tha-t  he  hated 
Cellini,  whom  he  called  pessimo  mostro  di  iiatura.  Guidi  was  made  Bishop 
of  Fenna  in  1561,  and  attended  the  Council  of  Trent. 


BOOK  SECOND 


415 


not  needful  that  I should  place  in  their  Excellencies’  hands 
what  I had  always  frankly  left  to  them  from  the  first  days 
when  I undertook  their  service.  I farther  added  that  if  his 
most  illustrious  Excellency  gave  me  but  a crazia^  which  is 
worth  five  farthings,  for  my  work,  I should  consider  myself 
contented,  provided  only  that  his  Excellency  did  not  deprive 
me  of  his  favour.  At  these  words  the  Duchess  smiled  a little 
and  said  : “ Benvenuto,  you  would  do  well  to  act  as  I advise 
you.”  Then  she  turned  her  back  and  left  me.  I thought  it 
was  my  best  policy  to  speak  with  the  humility  I have  above 
described  ; yet  it  turned  out  that  I had  done  the  worst  for 
myself,  because,  albeit  she  had  harboured  some  angry  feelings 
toward  me,  she  had  in  her  a certain  way  of  dealing  which 
was  generous. 


XCVI 

About  that  time  I was  very  intimate  with  Girolamo  degli 
Albizzi,^  commissary  of  the  Duke’s  militia.  One  day  this 
friend  said  to  me  : “ O Benvenuto,  it  would  not  be  a bad 
thing  to  put  your  little  difference  of  opinion  with  the  Duke 
to  rights  ; and  I assure  you  that  if  you  repose  confidence 
in  me,  I feel  myself  the  man  to  settle  matters.  I know  what 
I am  saying.  The  Duke  is  getting  really  angry,  and  you 
will  come  badly  out  of  the  affair.  Let  this  suffice  ; I am 
not  at  liberty  to  say  all  I know.”  Now,  subsequently  to 
that  conversation  with  the  Duchess,  I had  been  told  by  some 
one,  possibly  a rogue,  that  he  had  heard  how  the  Duke  said 
upon  some  occasion  which  offered  itself  : “For  less  than 
two  farthings  I will  throw  Perseus  to  the  dogs,  and  so  our 
differences  will  be  ended.”  This,  then,  made  me  anxious, 
and  induced  me  to  entrust  Girolamo  degli  Albizzi  with  the 
negotiations,  telling  him  anything  would  satisfy  me  provided 
I retained  the  good  graces  of  the  Duke.  That  honest  fellow 
was  excellent  in  all  his  dealings  with  soldiers,  especially 
with  the  militia,  who  are  for  the  most  part  rustics  ; but  he 
had  no  taste  for  statuary,  and  therefore  could  not  under- 
stand its  conditions.  Consequently,  when  he  spoke  to  the 

^ A small  Tuscan  coin. 

2 A warm  partisan  of  the  Medici.  He  was  a cousin  of  Maria  Salviati, 
Cosimo’s  mother.  It  was  rumoured  that  he  caused  the  historian  Francesco 
Guicciardini’s  death  by  poison.  We  find  him  godfather  to  one  of  Cellini’s 
children. 


4i6 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


Duke,  he  began  thus  : “ Prince,  Benvenuto  has  placed  him- 
self in  my  hands,  and  has  begged  me  to  recommend  him 
to  your  Excellency.”  The  Duke  replied  : “ I too  am  willing 
to  refer  myself  to  you,  and  shall  be  satisfied  with  your  de- 
cision.” Thereupon  Girolamo  composed  a letter,  with  much 
skill  and  greatly  to  my  honour,  fixing  the  sum  which  the 
Duke  would  have  to  pay  me  at  3500  golden  crowns  in  gold  ; 
and  this  should  not  be  taken  as  my  proper  recompense  for 
such  a masterpiece,  but  only  as  a kind  of  gratuity ; enough 
to  say  that  I was  satisfied  ; with  many  other  phrases  of  like 
tenor,  all  of  which  implied  the  price  which  I have  men- 
tioned. 

The  Duke  signed  this  agreement  as  gladly  as  I took  it 
sadly.  When  the  Duchess  heard,  she  said  : “ It  would  have 
been  better  for  that  poor  man  if  he  had  placed  himself  in 
my  hands  ; I could  have  got  him  five  thousand  crowns  in 
gold.”  One  day,  when  I went  to  the  palace,  she  repeated 
these  same  words  to  me  in  the  presence  of  Messer  Alamanno 
Salviati,^  and  laughed  at  me  a little,  saying  that  I deserved 
my  bad  luck. 

The  Duke  gave  orders  that  I should  be  paid  a hundred 
golden  crowns  in  gold  per  month,  until  the  sum  was  dis- 
charged ; and  thus  it  ran  for  some  months.  Afterwards, 
Messer  Antonio  de’  Nobili,  who  had  to  transact  the  business, 
began  to  give  me  fifty,  and  sometimes  later  on  he  gave  me 
twenty-five,  and  sometimes  nothing.  Accordingly,  when  I 
saw  that  the  settlement  was  being  thus  deferred,  I spoke 
good-humouredly  to  Messer  Antonio,  and  begged  him  to  ex- 
plain why  he  did  not  complete  my  payments.  He  answered 
in  a like  tone  of  politeness ; yet  it  struck  me  that  he  exposed 
his  own  mind  too  much.  Let  the  reader  judge.  He  began 
by  saying  that  the  sole  reason  why  he  could  not  go  forward 
regularly  with  these  payments,  was  the  scarcity  of  money 
at  the  palace  ; but  he  promised,  when  cash  came  in,  to  dis- 
charge arrears.  Then  he  added  : “ Oh  heavens  ! if  I did 
not  pay  you,  I should  be  an  utter  rogue.”  I was  somewhat 
surprised  to  hear  him  speak  in  that  way  ; yet  I resolved  to 
hope  that  he  would  pay  me  v/hen  he  had  the  power  to  do 
so.  But  when  I observed  that  things  went  quite  the  con- 
trary way,  and  saw  that  I w^as  being  pillaged,  I lost  temper 

^ This  Salviati  and  the  De’  Nobili  mentioned  afterwards  occupied  a dis- 
tinguished place  in  Florentine  annals  as  partisans  of  the  Medici 


Wax  Model  for  the 
Perseus. 

Palazzo  del  Ba7-gello, 
Florence. 


The  Perseus. 

Loggia  de'  Lanzi.,  Florence 


BOOK  SECOND 


417 


with  the  man,  and  recalled  to  his  memory  hotly  and  in  anger 
what  he  had  declared  he  would  be  if  he  did  not  pay  me. 
However,  he  died  ; and  five  hundred  crowns  are  still  owing 
to  me  at  the  present  date,  which  is  nigh  upon  the  end  of 
1566.1  There  was  also  a balance  due  upon  my  salary,  which 
I thought  would  be  forgotten,  since  three  years  had  elapsed 
without  payment.  But  it  so  happened  that  the  Duke  fell 
ill  of  a serious  malady,  remaining  forty-eight  hours  without 
passing  water.  Finding  that  the  remedies  of  his  physicians 
availed  nothing,  it  is  probable  that  he  betook  himself  to 
God,  and  therefore  decreed  the  discharge  of  all  debts  to 
his  servants.  I too  was  paid  on  this  occasion,  yet  I never 
obtained  what  still  stood  out  upon  my  Perseus. 


XCVII 

I had  almost  determined  to  say  nothing  more  about  that  un- 
lucky Perseus  ; but  a most  remarkable  incident,  which  I do 
not  like  to  omit,  obliges  me  to  do  so  ; wherefore  I must  now 
turn  back  a bit,  to  gather  up  the  thread  of  my  narration.  I 
thought  I was  acting  for  the  best  when  I told  the  Duchess  that 
I could  not  compromise  affairs  which  were  no  longer  in  my 
hands,  seeing  I had  informed  the  Duke  that  I should  gladly 
accept  whatever  he  chose  to  give  me.  I said  this  in  the  hope 
of  gaining  favour  ; and  with  this  manifestation  of  submissive- 
ness I employed  every  likely  means  of  pacifying  his  resent- 
ment ; for  I ought  to  add  that  a few  days  before  he  came  to 
terms  with  Albizzi,  the  Duke  had  shown  he  was  excessively 
displeased  with  me.  The  reason  was  as  follows  : I complained 
of  some  abominable  acts  of  injustice  done  to  me  by  Messer 
Alfonso  Quistelli,  Messer  Jacopo  Polverino  of  the  Exchequer, 
and  more  than  all  by  Ser  Giovanbattista  Brandini  of  Volterra. 
When,  therefore,  I set  forth  my  cause  with  some  vehemence, 
the  Duke  flew  into  the  greatest  rage  conceivable.  Being  thus 
in  anger,  he  exclaimed  : “This  is  just  the  same  as  with  your 
Perseus,  when  you  asked  those  ten  thousand  crowns.  You 
let  yourself  be  blinded  by  mere  cupidity.  Therefore  I shall 
have  the  statue  valued,  and  shall  give  you  what  the  experts 
think  it  worth. To  these  words  I replied  with  too  much 

^ Cellini  began  to  write  his  Memoirs  in  1558.  Eight  years  had  therefore 
now  elapsed. 


2 D 


4i8 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


daring  and  a touch  of  indignation,  which  is  always  out  of  place 
in  dealing  with  great  princes  : “ How  is  it  possible  that  my 
work  should  be  valued  at  its  proper  worth  when  there  is  not  a 
man  in  Florence  capable  of  performing  it?”  That  increased 
his  irritation  ; he  uttered  many  furious  phrases,  and  among 
them  said  : “ There  is  in  Florence  at  this  day  a man  well  able 
to  make  such  a statue,  and  who  is  therefore  highly  capable  of 
judging  it.”  He  meant  Bandinello,  Cavaliere  of  S.  Jacopo.^ 
Then  1 rejoined  : ” My  lord,  your  most  illustrious  Excellency 
gave  me  the  means  of  producing  an  important  and  very  diffi- 
cult masterpiece  in  the  midst  of  this  the  noblest  school  of  the 
world  ; and  my  work  has  been  received  with  warmer  praises 
than  any  other  heretofore  exposed  before  the  gaze  of  our  in- 
comparable masters.  My  chief  pride  is  the  commendation  of 
those  able  men  who  both  understand  and  practise  the  arts  of 
design — as  in  particular  Bronzino,  the  painter  ; this  man  set 
himself  to  work,  and  composed  four  sonnets  couched  in  the 
choicest  style,  and  full  of  honour  to  myself.  Perhaps  it  was 
his  example  which  moved  the  whole  city  to  such  a tumult  of 
enthusiasm.  I freely  admit  that  if  sculpture  were  his  business 
instead  of  painting,  then  Bronzino  might  have  been  equal  to  a 
task  like  mine.  Michel  Agnolo  Buonarroti,  again,  whom  1 
am  proud  to  call  my  master  ; he,  I admit,  could  have  achieved 
the  same  success  when  he  was  young,  but  not  with  less  fatigue 
and  trouble  than  I endured.  But  now  that  he  is  far  advanced 
in  years,  he  would  most  certainly  be  found  unequal  to  the 
strain.  Therefore  I think  I am  justified  in  saying  that  no  man 
known  upon  this  earth  could  have  produced  my  Perseus.  For 
the  rest,  my  work  has  received  the  greatest  reward  I could 
have  wished  for  in  this  world  ; chiefly  and  especially  because 
your  most  illustrious  Excellency  not  only  expressed  yourself 
satisfied,  but  praised  it  far  more  highly  than  any  one  beside. 
What  greater  and  more  honourable  prize  could  be  desired 
by  me  ? I affirm  most  emphatically  that  your  Excellency 
could  not  pay  me  with  more  glorious  coin,  nor  add  from  any 
treasury  a wealth  surpassing  this.  Therefore  I hold  myself 
overpaid  already,  and  return  thanks  to  your  most  illustrious 
Excellency  with  all  my  heart.”  The  Duke  made  answer  : 
” Probably  you  think  I have  not  the  money  to  pay  you.  For 
my  part,  I promise  you  that  I shall  pay  you  more  for  the 


^ Bandinelli  was  a Knight  of  S.  James  oi  Compostella. 


BOOK  SECOND 


419 


statue  than  it  is  worth/^  Then  I retorted  : “ I did  not  picture 
to  my  fancy  any  better  recompense  from  your  Excellency  ; 
yet  I account  myself  amply  remunerated  by  that  first  reward 
which  the  school  of  Florence  gave  me.  With  this  to  console 
me,  I shall  take  my  departure  on  the  instant,  without  returning 
to  the  house  you  gave  me,  and  shall  never  seek  to  set  my  foot 
in  this  town  again.”  We  were  just  at  S.  Felicity,  and  his 
Excellency  was  proceeding  to  the  palace.  When  he  heard 
these  choleric  words,  he  turned  upon  me  in  stern  anger  and 
exclaimed  : “You  shall  not  go  ; take  heed  you  do  not  go  !” 
Half  terrified,  I then  followed  him  to  the  palace. 

On  arriving  there,  his  Excellency  sent  for  the  Archbishop  of 
Pisa,  named  De’  Bartolini,  and  Messer  Pandolfo  della  Stufa,^ 
requesting  them  to  order  Baccio  Bandinelli,  in  his  name,  to 
examine  well  my  Perseus  and  value  it,  since  he  wished  to  pay 
its  exact  price.  These  excellent  men  went  forthwith  and  per- 
formed their  embassy.  In  reply  Bandinello  said  that  he  had 
examined  the  statue  minutely,  and  knew  well  enough  what  it 
was  worth  ; but  having  been  on  bad  terms  otherwise  with  me 
for  some  time  past,  he  did  not  care  to  be  entangled  anyhow  in 
my  affairs.  Then  they  began  to  put  a gentle  pressure  on  him, 
saying  : “ The  Duke  ordered  us  to  tell  you,  under  pain  of  his 
displeasure,  that  you  are  to  value  the  statue,  and  you  may  have 
two  or  three  days  to  consider  your  estimate.  When  you  have 
done  so,  tell  us  at  what  price  it  ought  to  be  paid.”  He  an- 
swered that  his  judgment  was  already  formed,  that  he  could 
not  disobey  the  Duke,  and  that  my  work  was  rich  and  beautiful 
and  excellent  in  execution ; therefore  he  thought  sixteen  thou- 
sand crowns  or  more  would  not  be  an  excessive  price  for  it. 
Those  good  and  courteous  gentlemen  reported  this  to  the 
Duke,  who  was  mightily  enraged  ; they  also  told  the  same  to 
me.  I replied  that  nothing  in  the  world  would  induce  me  to 
take  praise  from  Bandinello,  “ seeing  that  this  bad  man  speaks 
ill  of  everybody.”  My  words  were  carried  to  the  Duke ; and 
that  was  the  reason  why  the  Duchess  wanted  me  to  place  the 
matter  in  her  hands.  All  that  I have  written  is  the  pure  truth. 
I will  only  add  that  I ought  to  have  trusted  to  her  intervention, 

^ Onofrio  de’  Bartolini  was  made  Archbishop  of  Pisa  in  1518,  at  the  age  of 
about  seventeen.  He  was  a devoted  adherent  of  the  Medici.  He  was  shut 
up  with  Clement  in  S.  Angelo,  and  sent  as  hostage  to  the  Imperial  army. 
Pandolfo  della  Stufa  had  been  cup-bearer  to  Caterina  de’  Medici  while 
Dauphiness. 


420 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


for  then  I should  have  been  quickly  paid,  and  should  have 
received  so  much  more  into  the  bargain. 


XCVIII 

The  Duke  sent  me  word  by  Messer  Lelio  Torello,^  his 
Master  of  the  Rolls, ^ that  he  wanted  me  to  execute  some 
bas-reliefs  in  bronze  for  the  choir  of  S.  Maria  del  Fiore. 
Now  the  choir  was  by  Bandinello,  and  I did  not  choose  to 
enrich  his  bad  work  with  my  labours.  He  had  not  indeed 
designed  it,  for  he  understood  nothing  whatever  about  archi- 
tecture ; the  design  was  given  by  Giuliano,  the  son  of  that 
Baccio  d’Agnolo,  the  wood-carver,  who  spoiled  the  cupola.^ 
Suffice  it  to  say  that  it  shows  no  talent.  For  both  reasons  I 
was  determined  not  to  undertake  the  task,  although  I told  the 
Duke  politely  that  I would  do  whatever  his  most  illustrious 
Excellency  ordered.  Accordingly,  he  put  the  matter  into  the 
hands  of  the  Board  of  Works  for  S.  Maria  del  Fiore, ^ telling 
them  to  come  to  an  agreement  with  me ; he  would  continue 
my  allowance  of  two  hundred  crowns  a year,  while  they  were 
to  supply  the  rest  out  of  their  funds. 

In  due  course  I came  before  the  Board,  and  they  told  me 
what  the  Duke  had  arranged  Feeling  that  I could  explain 
my  views  more  frankly  to  these  gentlemen,  I began  by 
demonstrating  that  so  many  histories  in  bronze  would  cost 
a vast  amount  of  money,  which  would  be  totally  thrown 
away,  giving  all  my  reasons,  which  they  fully  appreciated. 
In  the  first  place,  I said  that  the  construction  of  the  choir 
was  altogether  incorrect,  without  proportion,  art,  conveni- 
ence, grace,  or  good  design.  In  the  next  place,  the  bas- 
reliefs  would  have  to  stand  too  low,  beneath  the  proper  line 
of  vision  ; they  would  become  a place  for  dogs  to  piss  at, 
and  be  always  full  of  ordure.  Consequently,  I declined 
positively  to  execute  them.  However,  since  I did  not  wish 
to  throw  away  the  best  years  of  my  life,  and  was  eager  to 

^ A native  of  Fano.  Cosimo’s  Auditore,  1539;  first  Secretary  or  Grand 
Chancellor,  1546.  He  was  a great  jurist. 

“ Stio  auditore. 

^ It  was  Baccio  d’ Agnolo  who  altered  Brunelleschi’s  plan  for  the  cupola. 
Buonarroti  used  to  say  that  he  made  it  look  like  a cage  for  crickets.  His 
work  remained  unfinished. 

^ Operai  di  S.  Maria  del  Fiore. 


BOOK  SECOND 


421 


serve  his  most  illustrious  Excellency,  whom  I had  the  sin- 
cerest  desire  to  gratify  and  obey,  I made  the  following  pro- 
posal. Let  the  Duke,  if  he  wants  to  employ  my  talents, 
give  me  the  middle  door  of  the  cathedral  to  perform  in 
bronze.  This  would  be  well  seen,  and  would  confer  far 
more  glory  on  his  most  illustrious  Excellency.  I would 
bind  myself  by  contract  to  receive  no  remuneration  unless 
I produced  something  better  than  the  finest  of  the  Baptis- 
tery doors.i  But  if  I completed  it  according  to  my  promise, 
then  I was  willing  to  have  it  valued,  and  to  be  paid  one 
thousand  crowns  less  than  the  estimate  made  by  experts. 

The  members  of  the  Board  were  well  pleased  with  this 
suggestion,  and  went  at  once  to  report  the  matter  to  the 
Duke,  among  them  being  Piero  Salviati.  They  expected 
him  to  be  extremely  gratified  with  their  communication,  but 
it  turned  out  just  the  contrary.  He  replied  that  I was 
always  wanting  to  do  the  exact  opposite  of  what  he  bade 
me  ; and  so  Piero  left  him  without  coming  to  any  conclu- 
sion. On  hearing  this,  I went  off  to  the  Duke  at  once, 
who  displayed  some  irritation  when  he  saw  me.  However, 
I begged  him  to  condescend  to  hear  me,  and  he  replied  that 
he  was  willing.  I then  began  from  the  beginning,  and  used 
such  convincing  arguments  that  he  saw  at  last  how  the 
matter  really  stood,  since  I made  it  evident  that  he  would 
only  be  throwing  a large  sum  of  money  away.  Then  I 
softened  his  temper  by  suggesting  that  if  his  most  illustrious 
Excellency  did  not  care  to  have  the  door  begun,  two  pulpits 
had  anyhow  to  be  made  for  the  choir,  and  that  these  would 
both  of  them  be  considerable  works,  which  would  confer 
glory  on  his  reign  ; for  my  part,  I was  ready  to  execute  a 
great  number  of  bronze  bas-reliefs  with  appropriate  decora- 
tions. In  this  way  I brought  him  round,  and  he  gave  me 
orders  to  construct  the  models. 

Accordingly  I set  at  work  on  several  models,  and  be- 
stowed immense  pains  on  them.  Among  these  there  was 
one  with  eight  panels,  carried  out  with  far  more  science 
than  the  rest,  and  which  seemed  to  me  more  fitted  for  the 
purpose.  Having  taken  them  several  times  to  the  palace, 
his  Excellency  sent  word  by  Messer  Cesare,  the  keeper  of 
his  wardrobe,  that  I should  leave  them  there.  After  the 


^ He  means  Ghiberti’s  second  door,  in  all  probability. 


422 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


Duke  had  inspected  them,  I perceived  that  he  had  selected 
the  least  beautiful.  One  day  he  sent  for  me,  and  during 
our  conversation  about  the  models,  I gave  many  reasons 
why  the  octagonal  pulpit  would  be  far  more  convenient  for 
its  destined  uses,  and  would  produce  a much  finer  effect 
He  answered  that  he  wished  me  to  make  it  square,  because 
he  liked  that  form  better  ; and  thus  he  went  on  conversing 
for  some  time  very  pleasantly.  I meanwhile  lost  no  oppor- 
tunity of  saying  everything  I could  in  the  interests  of  art. 
Now  whether  the  Duke  knew  that  I had  spoken  the  truth, 
or  whether  he  wanted  to  have  his  own  way,  a long  time 
passed  before  I heard  anything  more  about  it. 


XCIX 

About  this  time  the  great  block  of  marble  arrived  which 
was  intended  for  the  Neptune.  It  had  been  brought  up 
the  Arno,  and  then  by  the  Grieve^  to  the  road  at  Poggio 
a Caiano,  in  order  to  be  carried  to  Florence  by  that  level 
way  ; and  there  I went  to  see  it.  Now  I knew  very  well 
that  the  Duchess  by  her  special  influence  had  managed  to 
have  it  given  to  Bandinello.  No  envy  prompted  me  to 
dispute  his  claims,  but  rather  pity  for  that  poor  unfortunate 
piece  of  marble.  Observe,  by  the  way,  that  everything, 
whatever  it  may  be,  which  is  subject  to  an  evil  destiny, 
although  one  tries  to  save  it  from  some  manifest  evil,  falls 
at  once  into  far  worse  plight ; as  happened  to  this  marble 
when  it  came  into  the  hands  of  Bartolommeo  Ammanato,” 
of  whom  I shall  speak  the  truth  in  its  proper  place.  After 
inspecting  this  most  splendid  block,  I measured  it  in  every 
direction,  and  on  returning  to  Florence,  made  several  little 
models  suited  to  its  proportions.  Then  I went  to  Poggio 
a Caiano,  where  the  Duke  and  Duchess  were  staying,  with 
their  son  the  Prince.  I found  them  all  at  table,  the  Duke 
and  Duchess  dining  in  a private  apartment ; so  I entered 
into  conversation  with  the  Prince.  We  had  been  speaking 
for  a long  while,  when  the  Duke,  who  was  in  a room  adja- 

^ Instead  of  the  Grieve,  which  is  not  a navigable  stream,  it  appears  that 
Cellini  ought  to  have  written  the  Ombrone. 

2 This  sculptor  was  born  in  1511,  and  died  in  1592.  He  worked  under 
Bandinelli  and  Sansovino. 


BOOK  SECOND 


423 


cent,  heard  my  voice,  and  condescended  very  graciously  to 
send  for  me.  When  I presented  myself  before  their  Excel- 
lencies, the  Duchess  addressed  me  in  a very  pleasant  tone ; 
and  having  thus  opened  the  conversation,  I gradually  in- 
troduced the  subject  of  that  noble  block  of  marble  I had 
seen.  I then  proceeded  to  remark  that  their  ancestors  had 
brought  the  magnificent  school  of  Florence  to  such  a pitch 
of  excellence  only  by  stimulating  competition  among  artists 
in  their  several  branches.  It  was  thus  that  the  wonderful 
cupola  and  the  lovely  doors  of  San  Giovanni  had  been  pro- 
duced, together  with  those  multitudes  of  handsome  edifices 
and  statues  which  made  a crown  of  artistic  glory  for  their 
city  above  anything  the  world  had  seen  since  the  days  of 
the  ancients.  Upon  this  the  Duchess,  with  some  anger, 
observed  that  she  very  well  knew  what  I meant,  and  bade 
m.e  never  mention  that  block  of  marble  in  her  presence, 
since  she  did  not  like  it.  I replied : “ So,  then,  you  do  not 
like  me  to  act  as  the  attorne}^  of  your  Excellencies,  and  to 
do  my  utmost  to  ensure  your  being  better  served  ? Reflect 
upon  it,  my  lady ; if  your  most  illustrious  Excellencies 
think  fit  to  open  the  model  for  a Neptune  to  competition, 
although  you  are  resolved  to  give  it  to  Bandinello,  this  will 
urge  Bandinello  for  his  own  credit  to  display  greater  art 
and  science  than  if  he  knew  he  had  no  rivals.  In  this 
way,  my  princes,  you  will  be  far  better  served,  and  will  not 
discourage  our  school  of  artists  ; you  will  be  able  to  per- 
ceive which  of  us  is  eager  to  excel  in  the  grand  style  of 
our  noble  calling,  and  will  show  yourselves  princes  who 
enjoy  and  understand  the  fine  arts.”  The  Duchess,  in  a great 
rage,  told  me  that  I tired  her  patience  out ; she  wanted  the 
marble  for  Bandinello,  adding : “ Ask  the  Duke  ; for  his 
Excellency  also  means  Bandinello  to  have  it.”  When  the 
Duchess  had  spoken,  the  Duke,  who  had  kept  silence  up  to 
this  time,  said  : “ Twenty  years  ago  I had  that  fine  block 
quarried  especially  for  Bandinello,  and  so  I mean  that  Ban- 
dinello shall  have  it  to  do  what  he  likes  with  it.”  I turned 
to  the  Duke  and  spoke  as  follows : “ My  lord,  I entreat  your 
most  illustrious  Excellency  to  lend  a patient  hearing  while 
I speak  four  words  in  your  service.”  He  told  me  to  say  all 
I wanted,  and  that  he  would  listen.  Then  I began:  “You 
will  remember,  my  lord,  that  ^ the  marble  which  Bandinello 
used  for  his  Hercules  and  Cacus  was  quarried  for  our  in- 


424  LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 

comparable  Michel  Agnolo  Buonarroti.  He  had  made  the 
model  for  a Samson  with  four  figures,  which  would  have 
been  the  finest  masterpiece  in  the  whole  world  ; but  your 
Bandinello  got  out  of  it  only  two  figures,  both  ill-executed 
and  bungled  in  the  worst  manner ; wherefore  our  school 
still  exclaims  against  the  great  wrong  which  was  done  to 
that  magnificent  block.  I believe  that  more  than  a thousand 
sonnets  were  put  up  in  abuse  of  that  detestable  perform- 
ance ; and  I know  that  your  most  illustrious  Excellency 
remembers  the  fact  very  well.  Therefore,  my  powerful 
prince,  seeing  how  the  men  to  whose  care  that  work  was 
entrusted,  in  their  want  of  taste  and  wisdom,  took  Michel 
Agnolo’s  marble  away  from  him,  and  gave  it  to  Bandinello, 
who  spoilt  it  in  the  way  the  whole  world  knows,  oh  ! will 
you  suffer  this  far  more  splendid  block,  although  it  belongs 
to  Bandinello,  to  remain  in  the  hands  of  that  man  who 
cannot  help  mangling  it,  instead  of  giving  it  to  some  artist 
of  talent  capable  of  doing  it  full  justice  ? Arrange,  my  lord, 
that  every  one  who  likes  shall  make  a model ; have  them 
all  exhibited  to  the  school ; you  then  will  hear  what  the 
school  thinks  ; your  own  good  judgment  will  enable  you  to 
select  the  best ; in  this  way,  finally,  you  will  not  throw  away 
your  money,  nor  discourage  a band  of  artists  the  like  of 
whom  is  not  to  be  found  at  present  in  the  world,  and  who 
form  the  glory  of  your  most  illustrious  Excellency.” 

The  Duke  listened  with  the  utmost  graciousness  ; then  he 
rose  from  table,  and  turning  to  me,  said  : “ Go,  my  Benvenuto, 
make  a model,  and  earn  that  fine  marble  for  yourself  ; for 
what  you  say  is  the  truth,  and  I acknowledge  it.”  The 
Duchess  tossed  her  head  defiantly,  and  muttered  I know 
not  what  angry  sentences. 

I made  them  a respectful  bow  and  returned  to  Florence, 
burning  with  eagerness  to  set  hands  upon  my  model. 


C 

When  the  Duke  came  to  Florence,  he  sought  me  at  my 
house  without  giving  me  previous  notice.  I showed  him  two 
little  models  of  different  design.  Though  he  praised  them 
both,  he  said  that  one  of  them  pleased  him  better  than  the 
other  ; I was  to  finish  the  one  he  liked  with  care  ; and  this 


BOOK  SECOND 


425 


would  be  to  my  advantage.  Now  his  Excellency  had  already 
seen  Bandinello’s  designs,  and  those  of  other  sculptors  ; but, 
as  I was  informed  by  many  of  his  courtiers  who  had  heard 
him,  he  commended  mine  far  above  the  rest.  Among  other 
matters  worthy  of  record  and  of  great  weight  upon  this  point, 
I will  mention  the  following.  The  Cardinal  of  Santa  Fiore 
was  on  a visit  to  Florence,  and  the  Duke  took  him  to  Poggio 
a Caiano.  Upon  the  road,  noticing  the  marble  as  he  passed, 
the  Cardinal  praised  it  highly,  inquiring  of  his  Excellency 
for  what  sculptor  he  intended  it.  The  Duke  replied  at  once  : 
“ For  my  friend  Benvenuto,  who  has  made  a splendid  model 
with  a view  to  it.”  This  was  reported  to  me  by  men  whom 
I could  trust. 

Hearing  what  the  Duke  had  said,  I went  to  the  Duchess, 
and  took  her  some  small  bits  of  goldsmith’s  work,  which 
greatly  pleased  her  Excellency.  Then  she  asked  what  I was 
doing,  and  I replied  : “ My  lady,  I have  taken  in  hand  for  my 
pleasure  one  of  the  most  laborious  pieces  which  have  ever 
been  produced.  It  is  a Christ  of  the  whitest  marble  set  upon 
a cross  of  the  blackest,  exactly  of  the  same  size  as  a tall  man. 
She  immediately  inquired  what  I meant  to  do  with  it.  I 
answered  ; “You  must  know,  my  lady,  that  I would  not  sell 
it  for  two  thousand  golden  ducats  ; it  is  of  such  difficult 
execution  that  I think  no  man  ever  attempted  the  like  before  ; 
nor  would  I have  undertaken  it  at  the  commission  of  any 
prince  whatever,  for  fear  I might  prove  inadequate  to  the 
task.  I bought  the  marbles  with  my  own  money,  and  have 
kept  a young  man  some  two  years  as  my  assistant  in  the 
work.  What  with  the  stone,  the  iron  frame  to  hold  it  up, 
and  the  wages,  it  has  cost  me  above  three  hundred  crowns. 
Consequently,  I would  not  sell  it  for  two  thousand.  But  if 
your  Excellency  deigns  to  grant  me  a favour  which  is  wholly 
blameless,  I shall  be  delighted  to  make  you  a present  of  it. 
All  I ask  is  that  your  Excellency  will  not  use  yoiir  influence 
either  against  or  for  the  models  which  the  Duke  has  ordered 
to  be  made  of  the  Neptune  for  that  great  block  of  marble.” 
She  replied  with  mighty  indignation  : “So  then  you  value 
neither  my  help  nor  my  opposition  ? ” “ On  the  contrary, 

I value  them  highly,  princess  ; or  why  am  I offering  to  give 
you  what  I value  at  two  thousand  ducats  ? But  I have  such 
confidence  in  my  laborious  and  well-trained  studies,  that  I 
hope  to  win  the  palm,  even  against  the  great  Michel  Agnolo 


426 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


Buonarroti,  from  whom  and  from  no  one  else  I have  learned 
all  that  I know.  Indeed,  I should  be  much  better  pleased 
to  enter  into  competition  with  him  who  knows  so  much 
than  with  those  others  who  know  but  little  of  their  art. 
Contending  with  my  sublime  master,  I could  gain  laurels  in 
plenty,  whereas  there  are  but  few  to  be  reaped  in  a contest 
with  these  men.”  After  I had  spoken,  she  rose  in  a half- 
angry  mood,  and  I returned  to  work  with  all  the  strength  I 
had  upon  my  model. 

When  it  was  finished,  the  Duke  came  to  see  it,  bringing 
with  him  two  ambassadors,  one  from  the  Duke  of  Ferrara, 
the  other  from  the  Signory  of  Lucca.  They  were  delighted, 
and  the  Duke  said  to  those  two  gentlemen : “ Upon  my 
word,  Benvenuto  deserves  to  have  the  marble.”  Then  they 
both  paid  me  the  highest  compliments,  especially  the  envoy 
from  Lucca,  who  was  a person  of  accomplishments  and 
learning.^  I had  retired  to  some  distance  in  order  that 
they  might  exchange  opinions  freely ; but  when  I heard 
that  I was  being  complimented,  I came  up,  turned  to  the 
Duke,  and  said  : “ My  lord,  your  most  illustrious  Excellency 
ought  now  to  employ  another  admirable  device  : decree  that 
every  one  who  likes  shall  make  a model  in  clay,  exactly  of 
the  same  size  as  the  marble  has  to  be.  In  this  way  you 
will  be  able  to  judge  far  better  who  deserves  the  commission  ; 
and  I may  observe  that  if  your  Excellency  does  not  give  it 
to  the  sculptor  who  deserves  it,  this  will  not  wrong  the  man 
so  much,  but  will  reflect  great  discredit  upon  yourself,  since 
the  loss  and  shame  will  fall  on  you.  On  the  other  hand, 
if  you  award  it  to  the  one  who  has  deserved  it,  you  will 
acquire  great  glory  in  the  first  place,  and  will  employ  your 
treasure  well,  while  artists  will  believe  that  you  appreciate 
and  understand  their  business.”  No  sooner  had  I finished 
speaking  than  the  Duke  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  began 
to  move  away.  While  they  were  taking  leave,  the  am- 
bassador of  Lucca  said  to  the  Duke  : “ Prince,  this  Ben- 
venuto of  yours  is  a terrible  man  ! ” ^ The  Duke  responded  : 
“ He  is  much  more  terrible  than  you  imagine,  and  well  were 
it  for  him  if  he  were  a little  less  terrible  ; then  he  would 
possess  at  the  present  moment  many  things  which  he  has 
not  got.”  These  precise  words  were  reported  to  me  by  the 

^ Probably  Girolamo  Lucchesini. 

* See  Introduction,  ch.  iv.,  for  the  meaning  of  the  word  terribile. 


BOOK  SECOND 


427 


envoy,  by  way  of  chiding  and  advising  me  to  change  my 
conduct.  I told  him  that  I had  the  greatest  wish  to  oblige 
my  lord  as  his  affectionate  and  faithful  servant,  but  that  I 
did  not  understand  the  arts  of  flattery,  ^^everal  months 
after  this  date,  Bandinello  died  ; and  it  was  thought  that, 
in  addition  to  his  intemperate  habits  of  life,  the  mortifica- 
tion of  having  probably  to  lose  the  marble  contributed  to 
his  decline. 


Cl 

Bandinello  had  received  information  of  the  crucifix  which, 
as  I have  said  above,  I was  now  engaged  upon.  Accord- 
ingly he  laid  his  hands  at  once  upon  a block  of  marble, 
and  produced  the  Pieta  which  may  be  seen  in  the  church 
of  the  Annunziata.  Now  I had  offered  my  crucifix  to  S- 
Maria  Novella,  and  had  already  fixed  up  the  iron  clamps 
whereby  I meant  to  fasten  it  against  the  wall.  I only 
asked  for  permission  to  construct  a little  sarcophagus  upon 
the  ground  beneath  the  feet  of  Christ,  into  which  I might 
creep  when  I was  dead.  The  friars  told  me  that  they 
could  not  grant  this  without  the  consent  of  their  building 
committee.^  I replied  : “ Good  brethren,  why  did  not  you 
consult  your  committee  before  you  allowed  me  to  place  my 
crucifix  ? Without  their  leave  you  suffered  me  to  fix  my 
clamps  and  other  necessary  fittings.” 

On  this  account  I refused  to  give  those  fruits  of  my 
enormous  labours  to  the  church  of  S.  Maria  Novella,  even 
though  the  overseers  of  the  fabric  came  and  begged  me  for 
the  crucifix.  I turned  at  once  to  the  church  of  the  Annun- 
ziata, and  when  I explained  the  terms  on  which  I had 
sought  to  make  a present  of  it  to  S.  Maria  Novella,  those 
virtuous  friars  of  the  Nunziata  unanimously  told  me  to 
place  it  in  their  church,  and  let  me  make  my  grave  accord- 
ing to  my  will  and  pleasure.  When  Bandinello  became 
aware  of  this,  he  set  to  work  with  great  diligence  at  the 
completion  of  his  Piet^,  and  prayed  the  Duchess  to  get  for 
him  the  chapel  of  the  Pazzi  for  his  monument.  This  he 
obtained  with  some  difficulty;  and  on  receiving  the  per- 
mission, he  erected  his  Piet^  with  great  haste.  It  was  not 
altogether  completed  when  he  died. 

^ I loro  Operai, 


428 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


The  Duchess  then  said  that,  even  as  she  had  protected 
him  in  life,  so  would  she  protect  him  in  the  grave,  and  that 
albeit  he  was  dead,  I need  never  try  to  get  that  block  of 
marble.  Apropos  of  which,  the  broker  Bernardone,  meeting 
me  one  day  in  the  countrj^,  said  that  the  Duchess  had  assigned 
the  marble.  I replied:  “Unhappy  piece  of  stone!  In  the 
hands  of  Bandinello  it  would  certainly  have  come  to  grief  ; 
but  in  those  of  Ammanato  its  fate  is  a hundred  times  worse.” 
Now  I had  received  orders  from  the  Duke  to  make  a clay 
model,  of  the  same  size  as  the  marble  would  allow  ; he  also 
provided  me  with  wood  and  clay,  set  up  a sort  of  screen  in  the 
Loggia  where  my  Perseus  stands,  and  paid  me  one  workman. 
I went  about  my  business  with  all  diligence,  and  constructed 
the  wooden  framework  according  to  my  excellent  system. 
Then  I brought  the  model  successfully  to  a conclusion,  with- 
out caring  whether  I should  have  to  execute  it  in  marble,  since 
I knew  the  Duchess  was  resolved  I should  not  get  the  com- 
mission. Consequently  I paid  no  heed  to  that.  Only  I felt 
very  glad  to  undergo  this  labour,  hoping  to  make  the  Duchess, 
who  was  after  all  a person  of  intelligence,  as  indeed  I had  the 
means  of  observing  at  a later  period,  repent  of  having  done  so 
great  a wrong  both  to  the  marble  and  herself.  Giovanni  the 
Fleming  also  made  a model  in  the  cloister  of  S.  Croce  ; 
Vinzenzio  Danti  of  Perugia  another  in  the  house  of  Messer 
Ottaviano  de’  Medici  ; the  son  of  Moschino  began  a third  at 
Pisa,  and  Bartolommeo  Ammanato  a fourth  in  the  Loggia, 
which  we  divided  between  us.^ 

When  I had  blocked  the  whole  of  mine  out  well,  and 
wanted  to  begin  upon  the  details  of  the  head,  which  I had 
already  just  sketched  out  in  outline,  the  Duke  came  down 
from  the  palace,  and  Giorgetto,  the  painter,^  took  him  into 
Ammanato’s  workshed.  This  man  had  been  engaged  there 

^ Gian  Bologna,  or  Jean  Boullogne,  was  born  at  Douai  about  1530.  He 
v/ent,  while  a very  young  man,  to  Rome,  and  then  settled  at  Florence. 
There  he  first  gained  reputation  by  a Venus  which  the  Prince  Francesco 
bought.  The  Neptune  on  the  piazza  at  Bologna,  which  is  his  work,  may 
probably  have  been  executed  from  the  model  he  made  in  competition  upon 
this  occasion.  Vincenzo  Danti  was  born  at  Perugia  in  1530-  He  produced 
the  bronze  statue  of  Pope  Julius  III. , which  may  still  be  seen  in  his  native  city. 
Simone  Cioli,  called  II  Mosca,  was  a very  fair  sculptor  who  died  in  I554> 
leaving  a son,  Francesco,  called  II  Moschino,  who  was  also  a sculptor,  and 
had  reached  the  age  of  thirty  at  this  epoch.  It  is  therefore  to  this  Moschino 
probably  that  Cellini  refers  above. 

2 Giorgio  Vasari. 


BOOK  SECOND 


429 

with  his  own  hands  several  days,  in  company  with  Ammanato 
and  all  his  workpeople.  While,  then,  the  Duke  was  inspect- 
ing Ammanato’s  model,  I received  intelligence  that  he  seemed 
but  little  pleased  with  it.  In  spite  of  Giorgetto’s  trying  to 
dose  him  with  his  fluent  nonsense,  the  Duke  shook  his  head, 
and  turning  to  Messer  Gianstefano,^  exclaimed  : “ Go  and  ask 
Benvenuto  if  his  colossal  statue  is  far  enough  forward  for  him 
to  gratify  us  with  a glance  at  it.”  Messer  Gianstefano  dis- 
charged this  embassy  with  great  tact,  and  in  the  most 
courteous  terms.  He  added  that  if  I did  not  think  my  work 
quite  ready  to  be  seen  yet,  I might  say  so  frankly,  since  the 
Duke  knew  well  that  I had  enjoyed  but  little  assistance  for  so 
large  an  undertaking.  I replied  that  I entreated  him  to  do 
me  the  favour  of  coming  ; for  though  my  model  was  not  far 
advanced,  yet  the  intelligence  of  his  Excellency  would  enable 
him  to  comprehend  perfectly  how  it  was  likely  to  look  when 
finished.  This  kindly  gentleman  took  back  my  message  to 
the  Duke,  who  came  with  pleasure.  No  soonei  had  he 
entered  the  enclosure  and  cast  his  eyes  upon  my  work,  than 
he  gave  signs  of  being  greatly  satisfied.  Then  he  walked  all 
round  it,  stopping  at  each  of  the  four  points  of  view,  exactly 
as  the  ripest  expert  would  have  done.  Afterwards  he  showed 
by  nods  and  gestures  of  approval  that  it  pleased  him  ; but  he 
said  no  more  than  this  : “ Benvenuto,  you  have  only  to  give  a 
little  surface  to  your  statue.”  Then  he  turned  to  his  attend- 
ants, praising  my  performance,  and  saying ; “ The  small 
model  which  I saw  in  his  house  pleased  me  greatly,  but  this 
has  far  exceeded  it  in  merit.” 


CII 

It  pleased  God,  who  rules  all  things  for  our  good — I mean, 
for  those  who  acknowledge  and  believe  in  Him  ; such  men 
never  fail  to  gain  His  protection — that  about  this  time  a 
certain  rascal  from  Vecchio  called  Piermaria  d’Anterigoli, 
and  surnamed  Lo  Sbietta,  introduced  himself  to  me.  He  is 
a sheep-grazier  ; and  being  closely  related  to  Messer  Guido 
Guidi,  the  physician,  who  is  now  provost  of  Pescia,  I lent  ear 
to  his  proposals.  The  man  offered  to  sell  me  a farm  of  his 
for  the  term  of  my  natural  life.  I did  not  care  to  go  and  see 

^ Probably  Gianstefano  Lalli. 


430 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


it,  since  I wanted  to  complete  the  model  of  my  colossal 
Neptune.  There  was  also  no  reason  why  I should  visit  the 
property,  because  Sbietta  only  sold  it  to  me  for  the  income.^ 
This  he  had  noted  down  at  so  many  bushels  of  grain,  so 
much  of  wine,  oil,  standing  corn,  chestnuts,  and  other  pro- 
duce. I reckoned  that,  as  the  market  then  ran,  these  to- 
gether were  worth  something  considerably  over  a hundred 
golden  crowns  in  gold  ; and  I paid  him  650  crowns,  which 
included  duties  to  the  state.  Consequently,  when  he  left  a 
memorandum  written  in  his  own  hand,  to  the  effect  that  he 
would  always  keep  up  these  products  of  the  farm  in  the  same 
values  during  my  lifetime,  I did  not  think  it  necessary  to 
inspect  it.  Only  I made  inquiries,  to  the  best  of  my  ability, 
as  to  whether  Sbietta  and  his  brother  Ser  Filippo  were  well 
off  enough  to  give  me  good  security.  Many  persons,  of 
divers  sorts,  who  knew  them,  assured  me  that  my  security 
was  excellent.  We  agreed  to  call  in  Ser  Pierfrancesco 
Bertoldi,  notary  at  the  Mercantanzia  ; and  at  the  very  first 
I handed  him  Sbietta’s  memorandum,  expecting  that  this 
would  be  recited  in  the  deed.  But  the  notary  who  drew  it 
up  was  so  occupied  with  detailing  twenty-two  boundaries 
described  by  Sbietta,^  that,  so  far  as  I can  judge,  he  neglected 
to  include  in  the  contract  what  the  vendor  had  proposed  to 
furnish.  While  he  was  writing,  I went  on  working  ; and 
since  it  took  him  several  hours,  I finished  a good  piece  of 
my  Neptune’s  head. 

After  the  contract  was  signed  and  sealed,  Sbietta  began  to 
pay  me  the  most  marked  attentions,  which  I returned  in  like 
measure.  He  made  me  presents  of  kids,  cheese,  capons, 
fresh  curds,  and  many  sorts  of  fruit,  until  I began  to  be  almost 
ashamed  of  so  much  kindness.  In  exchange  for  these 
courtesies,  I always  took  him  from  the  inn  to  lodge  with  me 
when  he  came  into  Florence,  often  inviting  a relative  or  two 
who  happened  to  attend  him.  On  one  of  these  occasions  he 
told  me  with  a touch  of  pleasantry  that  it  was  really  shameful 
for  me  to  have  bought  a farm,  and,  after  the  lapse  of  so  many 
weeks,  not  yet  to  have  left  my  business  for  three  days  in  the 


^ What  Cellini  means  is  that  Sbietta  was  to  work  the  farm,  paying  Cellini 
its  annual  value.  It  appears  from  some  particulars  which  follow  that  the 
entrate  were  to  be  paid  in  kind. 

“ The  word  confini,  which  T have  translated  boundaries,  may  mean  limiting 
conditions. 


BOOK  SECOND 


431 


hands  of  my  workpeople,  so  as  to  have  come  to  look  at  it. 
His  wheedling  words  and  ways  induced  me  to  set  off,  in  a 
bad  hour  for  my  welfare,  on  a visit  to  him.  Sbietta  received 
me  in  his  own  house  with  such  attentions  and  such  honours 
as  a duke  might  covet.  His  wife  caressed  me  even  more  than 
he  did  ; and  these  excellent  relations  continued  between  us 
until  the  plans  which  he  and  his  brother  Ser  Filippo  had  in 
mind  were  fully  matured. 


cm 

Meanwhile  I did  not  suspend  my  labours  on  the  Neptune, 
which  was  now  quite  blocked  out  upon  an  excellent  system, 
undiscovered  and  unknown  before  I used  it.  Consequently, 
although  I knew  I should  not  get  the  marble  for  the  reasons 
above  narrated,  I hoped  to  have  it  soon  completed,  and  to 
display  it  on  the  piazza  simply  for  my  satisfaction. 

It  was  a warm  and  pleasant  season  ; and  this,  together  with 
the  attentions  of  those  two  rascals,  disposed  me  to  set  out  one 
Wednesday,  which  happened  to  be  a double  holiday,  for  my 
country-house  at  Trespiano.^  Having  spent  some  time  over 
an  excellent  lunch,  it  was  past  twenty  o’clock  when  I reached 
Vicchio.  There,  at  the  town-gate,  I met  Ser  Filippo,  who 
appeared  to  know  already  whither  I was  bound.  He  loaded 
me  with  attentions,  and  took  me  to  Sbietta’s  house,  where  I 
found  that  fellow’s  strumpet  of  a wife,  who  also  overwhelmed 
me  with  caresses.  I gave  the  woman  a straw  hat  of  the 
very  finest  texture,  the  like  of  which  she  told  me  she  had 
never  seen.  Still,  up  to  this  time,  Sbietta  had  not  put  in  his 
appearance. 

Towarcf  the  end  of  the  afternoon  we  all  sat  down  to  supper 
in  excellent  spirits.  Later  on,  they  gave  me  a well-appointed 
bedroom,  where  I went  to  rest  in  a bed  of  the  most  perfect 
cleanliness.  Both  of  my  servants,  according  to  their  rank, 
were  equally  well  treated.  On  the  morrow,  when  I rose,  the 
same  attentions  were  paid  me.  I went  to  see  my  farm,  which 
pleased  me  much  ; and  then  I had  some  quantities  of  grain 
and  other  produce  handed  over.  But  when  I returned  to 
Vicchio,  the  priest  Ser  Filippo  said  to  me  : “ Benvenuto,  do 

^ From  Cellini’s  Ricordi  it  appears  that  he  bought  a farm  at  this  village, 
north-east  of  Florence,  on  October  26,  1548.  In  1556  he  also  purchased  land 
there. 


432 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


not  be  uneasy;  although  you  have  not  found  here  quite  every- 
thing you  had  the  right  to  look  for,  yet  put  your  mind  to 
rest ; it  will  be  amply  made  up  in  the  future,  for  you  have  to 
deal  with  honest  folk.  You  ought,  by  the  way,  to  know  that 
we  have  sent  that  labourer  away,  because  he  was  a scoundrel.” 
The  labourer  in  question  bore  the  name  of  Mariano  Rosegli ; 
and  this  man  now  kept  frequently  repeating  in  my  ear : “ Look 
well  after  yourself  ; in  the  end  you  will  discover  which  of  us 
here  is  the  greatest  villain.”  The  country-fellow,  when  he 
spoke  those  words,  smiled  with  an  evil  kind  of  sneer,  and 
jerked  his  head  as  though  to  say : “ Only  go  up  there,  and  you 
will  find  out  for  yourself.” 

I was  to  some  extent  unfavourably  influenced  by  these 
hints,  yet  far  from  forming  a conception  of  what  actually  hap- 
pened to  me.  So,  when  I returned  from  the  farm,  which  is 
two  miles  distant  from  Vicchio,  toward  the  Alpi,^  I met  the 
priest,  who  was  waiting  for  me  with  his  customary  politeness. 
We  then  sat  down  together  to  breakfast ; it  was  not  so  much 
a dinner  as  an  excellent  collation.  Afterwards  1 took  a walk 
through  Vicchio — the  market  had  just  opened — and  noticed 
how  all  the  inhabitants  fixed  their  eyes  upon  me,  as  on  some- 
thing strange.  This  struck  me  particularly  in  the  case  of  a 
worthy  old  man,  who  has  been  living  for  many  years  at  Vicchio, 
and  whose  wife  bakes  bread  for  sale.  He  owns  some  good 
property  at  the  distance  of  about  a mile  ; however,  he  prefers 
this  mode  of  life,  and  occupies  a house  which  belongs  to  me  in 
the  town  of  Vicchio.  This  had  been  consigned  to  me  together 
with  the  farm  above  mentioned,  which  bears  the  name  of 
Della  Fonte.  The  worthy  old  man  spoke  as  follows  : “ I am 
living  in  your  house,  and  when  it  falls  due  I shall  pay  you  your 
rent ; but  if  you  want  it  earlier,  I will  act  according  to  your 
wishes.  You  may  reckon  on  never  having  any  disputes  with 
me.”  While  we  were  thus  talking  I noticed  that  he  looked 
me  hard  in  the  face,  which  compelled  me  to  address  him  thus : 
“ Prithee,  tell  me,  friend  Giovanni,  why  you  have  more  than 
once  stared  at  me  in  that  way?”  He  replied:  “I  am  quite 
willing  to  tell  you,  if,  being  the  man  of  worth  I take  you  for, 
you  will  promise  not  to  say  that  I have  told  you.”  I gave  the 
promise  and  he  proceeded  : “You  must  know  then  that  that 
worthless  priest,  Ser  Filippo,  not  many  days  since,  went  about 


^ The  Alpi  are  high  mountain  pastures  in  the  Apennines. 


BOOK  SECOND 


433 


boasting  of  his  brother  Sbietta’s  cleverness,  and  telling  how  he 
had  sold  his  farm  to  an  old  man  for  his  lifetime,  and  that  the 
purchaser  could  hardly  live  the  year  out.  You  have  got  mixed 
up  with  a set  of  rogues  ; therefore  take  heed  to  living  as  long 
as  you  are  able,  and  keep  your  eyes  open,  for  you  have  need 
of  it.  I do  not  choose  to  say  more/' 


CIV 

During  my  promenade  through  the  market,  I met  Giovan 
Battista  Santini,  and  he  and  I were  taken  back  to  supper 
by  the  priest.  As  I have  related  above,  we  supped  at  the 
early  hour  of  twenty,  because  I made  it  known  that  I meant 
to  return  to  Trespiano.  Accordingly  they  made  all  ready ; 
the  wife  of  Sbietta  went  bustling  about  in  the  company  of 
one  Cecchino  Buti,  their  knave  of  all  work.  After  the  salads 
had  been  mixed  and  we  were  preparing  to  sit  down  to 
table,  that  evil  priest,  with  a certain  nasty  sort  of  grin,  ex- 
claimed : “I  must  beg  you  to  excuse  me,  for  I cannot  sup 
with  you  ; the  reason  is  that  some  business  of  importance 
has  occurred  which  I must  transact  for  my  brother  Sbietta. 
In  his  absence  I am  obliged  to  act  for  him.”  We  all 
begged  him  to  stay,  but  could  not  alter  his  determination  ; 
so  he  departed  and  we  began  our  supper.  After  we  had 
eaten  the  salads  on  some  common  platters,  and  they  were 
preparing  to  serve  the  boiled  meat,  each  guest  received  a 
porringer  for  himself.  Santini,  who  was  seated  opposite 
me  at  table,  exclaimed  : “ Do  you  notice  that  the  crockery 
they  give  you  is  different  from  the  rest  ? Did  you  ever  see 
anything  handsomer?”  I answered  that  I had  not  noticed 
it.  He  also  prayed  me  to  invite  Sbietta's  wife  to  sit  down 
with  us ; for  she  and  that  Cecchino  Buti  kept  running 
hither  and  thither  in  the  most  extraordinary  fuss  and  hurry. 
At  last  I induced  the  woman  to  join  us  ; when  she  began 
to  remonstrate  : “You  do  not  like  my  victuals,  since  you  eat 
so  little.”  I answered  by  praising  the  supper  over  and  over 
again,  and  saying  that  I had  never  eaten  better  or  with 
heartier  appetite.  Finally,  I told  her  that  I had  eaten  quite 
enough.  I could  not  imagine  why  she  urged  me  so  per- 
sistently to  eat.  After  supper  was  over,  and  it  was  past 
the  hour  of  twenty- one,  I became  anxious  to  return  to 

2 E 


434 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


Trespiano,  in  order  that  I might  recommence  my  work  next 
morning  in  the  Loggia.  Accordingly  I bade  farewell  to 
all  the  company,  and  having  thanked  our  hostess,  took  my 
leave. 

1 had  not  gone  three  miles  before  I felt  as  though  my 
stomach  was  on  fire,  and  suffered  such  pain  that  it  seemed 
a thousand  years  till  I arrived  at  Trespiano.  However,  it 
pleased  God  that  I reached  it  after  nightfall  with  great  toil, 
and  immediately  proceeded  to  my  farm,  where  I went  to 
bed.  During  the  night  I got  no  sleep,  and  was  constantly 
disturbed  by  motions  of  my  bowels.  When  day  broke, 
feeling  an  intense  heat  in  the  rectum,  I looked  eagerly  to 
see  what  this  might  mean,  and  found  the  cloth  covered 
with  blood.  Then  in  a moment  I conceived  that  I had 
eaten  something  poisonous,  and  racked  my  brains  to  think 
what  it  could  possibly  have  been.  It  came  back  to  my 
memory  how  Sbietta’s  wife  had  set  before  me  plates,  and 
porringers,  and  saucers  different  from  the  others,  and  how 
that  evil  priest,  Sbietta’s  brother,  after  giving  himself  such 
pains  to  do  me  honour,  had  yet  refused  to  sup  with  us. 
Furthermore,  I remembered  what  the  priest  had  said  about 
Sbietta’s  doing  such  a fine  stroke  of  business  by  the  sale  of 
his  farm  to  an  old  man  for  life,  who  could  not  be  expected 
to  survive  a year.  Giovanni  Sardella  had  reported  these 
words  to  me.  All  things  considered,  1 made  my  mind  up 
that  they  must  have  administered  a dose  of  sublimate 
in  the  sauce,  which  was  very  well  made  and  pleasant  to 
the  taste,  inasmuch  as  sublimate  produces  all  the  symptoms  I 
was  suffering  from.  Now  it  is  my  custom  to  take  but  little 
sauce  or  seasoning  with  my  meat,  excepting  salt ; and  yet  I 
had  eaten  two  moderate  mouthfuls  of  that  sauce  because  it 
was  so  tasteful.  On  further  thinking,  I recollected  how 
often  that  wife  of  Sbietta  had  teased  me  in  a hundred  ways 
to  partake  more  freely  of  the  sauce.  On  these  accounts  I 
felt  absolutely  certain  that  they  had  given  me  sublimate  in 
that  very  dish. 


CV 

Albeit  I was  suffering  so  severely,  I forced  myself  to 
work  upon  my  Colossus  in  the  Loggia ; but  after  a few 
days  I succumbed  to  the  malady  and  took  to  my  bed.  No 


BOOK  SECOND 


435 


sooner  did  the  Duchess  hear  that  I was  ill,  than  she  caused 
the  execution  of  that  unlucky  marble  to  be  assigned  to 
Bartolommeo  Ammanatod  He  sent  word  to  me  through 
Messer  ....  living  in  ...  . Street,  that  I might  now  do  what 
I liked  with  my  model  since  he  had  won  the  marble.  This 
Messer  ....  was  one  of  the  lovers  of  Bartolommeo  Amma- 
nato’s  wife ; and  being  the  most  favoured  on  account  of  his 
gentle  manners  and  discretion,  Ammanato  made  things  easy 
for  him.  There  would  be  much  to  say  upon  this  topic  ; 
however,  I do  not  care  to  imitate  his  master,  Bandinello, 
who  always  wandered  from  the  subject  in  his  talk.  Suffice 
it  to  say  that  I told  Ammanato’s  messenger  I had  always 
imagined  it  would  turn  out  thus  ; let  the  man  strain  himself 
to  the  utmost  in  proof  of  gratitude  to  Fortune  for  so  great 
a favour  so  undeservedly  conferred  on  him  by  her. 

All  this  while  I stayed  with  sorry  cheer  in  bed,  and  was 
attended  by  that  most  excellent  man  and  physician  Maestro 
Francesco  da  Montevarchi.  Together  with  him  Maestro 
Raffaello  de’  Pilli  undertook  the  surgical  part  of  my  case, 
forasmuch  as  the  sublimate  had  so  corroded  the  intestines 
that  I was  unable  to  retain  my  motions.  When  Maestro 
Francesco  saw  that  the  poison  had  exerted  all  its  strength, 
being  indeed  insufficient  in  quantity  to  overcome  my  vigorous 
constitution,  he  said  one  day : “ Benvenuto,  return  thanks  to 
God,  for  you  have  won  the  battle.  Have  no  anxiety,  since 
I mean  to  cure  you  in  spite  of  the  rogues  who  sought  to 
work  your  ruin.’’  Maestro  Raffaello  then  put  in  : “ This 
will  be  one  of  the  finest  and  most  difficult  cures  which  was 
ever  heard  of ; for  I can  tell  you,  Benvenuto,  that  you 
swallowed  a good  mouthful  of  sublimate.”  Thereupon 
Maestro  Francesco  took  him  up  and  said : “It  may  possibly 
have  been  some  venomous  caterpillar.”  I replied : “ I know 
for  certain  what  sort  of  poison  it  was,  and  who  gave  it  to 
me  ; ” upon  which  we  all  were  silent.  They  attended  me 
more  than  six  full  months,  and  I remained  more  than  a 
whole  year  before  I could  enjoy  my  life  and  vigour. 

^ What  follows  has  been  so  carefully  erased,  possibly  by  Cellini’s  own  hand, 
in  the  autograph,  that  it  is  illegible.  Laura  Battiferra,  Ammanato’s  wife,  was 
a woman  of  irreproachable  character,  whom  Cellini  himself  praised  in  q 
sonnet. 


436 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


CVI 

At  this  time^  the  Duke  went  to  make  his  triumphal  entry 
into  Siena,  and  Ammanato  had  gone  there  some  months 
earlier  to  construct  the  arches.  A bastard  of  his,  who  stayed 
behind  in  the  Loggia,  removed  the  cloths  with  which  I kept 
my  model  of  Neptune  covered  until  it  should  be  finished. 
As  soon  as  I knew  this,  I complained  to  Signor  Don  Fran- 
cesco, the  Duke’s  son,  who  was  kindly  disposed  toward  me, 
and  told  him  how  they  had  disclosed  my  still  imperfect 
statue  ; had  it  been  finished,  I should  not  have  given  the 
fact  a thought.  The  Prince  replied  with  a threatening  toss 
of  his  head  : “ Benvenuto,  do  not  mind  your  statue  having 
been  uncovered,  because  these  men  are  only  working  against 
themselves  ; yet  if  you  want  me  to  have  it  covered  up,  I will 
do  so  at  once.”  He  added  many  other  words  in  my  honour 
before  a crowd  of  gentlemen  who  were  there.  I then  begged 
his  Excellency  to  give  me  the  necessary  means  for  finishing 
it,  saying  that  I meant  to  make  a present  of  it  together  with 
the  little  model  to  his  Highness.  He  replied  that  he  gladly 
accepted  both  gifts,  and  that  he  would  have  all  the  con- 
veniences I asked  for  put  at  my  disposal.  Thus,  then,  I fed 
upon  this  trifling  mark  of  favour,  which,  in  fact,  proved  the 
salvation  of  my  life  ; for  having  been  overwhelmed  by  so 
many  evils  and  such  great  annoyances  all  at  one  fell  swoop, 
I felt  rny  forces  failing  ; but  this  little  gleam  of  encourage- 
ment inspired  me  with  some  hope  of  living. 


evil 

A year  had  now  passed  since  I bought  the  farm  of  Della 
Fonte  from  Sbietta.  In  addition  to  their  attempt  upon  my 
life  by  poisoning  and  their  numerous  robberies,  I noticed 
that  the  property  yielded  less  than  half  what  had  been 
promised.  Now,  in  addition  to  the  deeds  of  contract,  I had 
a declaration  written  by  Sbietta’s  own  hand,  in  which  he 
bound  himself  before  witnesses  to  pay  me  over  the  yearly 
income  I have  mentioned.  Armed  with  these  documents, 


^ October  28,  1 560. 


BOOK  SECOND 


437 


I had  recourse  to  the  Lords  Counsellors.  At  that  time 
Messer  Alfonso  Quistello  was  still  alive  and  Chancellor  of 
the  Exchequer ; he  sat  upon  the  Board,  which  included 
Averardo  Serristori  and  Federigo  de’  Ricci.  I cannot  re- 
member the  names  of  all  of  them,  but  I know  that  one  of 
the  Alessandri  was  a member.  Suffice  it  to  say,  the  coun- 
sellors of  that  session  were  men  of  weight  and  worth.  When 
I had  explained  my  cause  to  the  magistracy,  they  all  with 
one  voice  ruled  that  Sbietta  should  give  me  back  my  money, 
except  Federigo  de’  Ricci,  who  was  then  employing  the 
fellow  himself ; the  others  unanimously  expressed  sorrow  to 
me  that  Federigo  de’  Ricci  prevented  them  from  despatching 
the  affair.  Averardo  Serristori  and  Alessandri  in  particular 
made  a tremendous  stir  about  it,  but  Federigo  managed  to 
protect  matters  until  the  magistracy  went  out  of  office  ; 
whereupon  Serristori,  meeting  me  one  morning  after  they 
had  come  out  upon  the  Piazza  delF  Annunziata,  cried  aloud, 
without  the  least  regard  to  consequences : “ Federigo  de’ 
Ricci  has  been  so  much  stronger  than  all  of  us  put  together 
that  you  have  been  massacred  against  our  will.”  I do  not 
intend  to  say  more  upon  this  topic,  since  it  would  be  too 
offensive  to  the  supreme  authorities  of  state  ; enough  that  I 
was  cruelly  wronged  at  the  will  of  a rich  citizen,  only  because 
he  made  use  of  that  shepherd-fellow. 


CVIII 

The  Duke  was  staying  at  Livorno,  where  I went  to  visit 
him  in  order  merely  to  obtain  release  from  his  service.  Now 
that  I felt  my  vigour  returning,  and  saw  that  I was  used  for 
nothing,  it  pained  me  to  lose  time  which  ought  to  have  been 
spent  upon  my  art.  I made  my  mind  up,  therefore,  went  to 
Livorno,  and  found  my  prince,  who  received  me  with  exceed- 
ing graciousness.  Now  I stayed  there  several  days,  and  went 
out  riding  daily  with  his  Excellency.  Consequently  I had 
excellent  opportunities  for  saying  all  I wanted,  since  it  was 
the  Duke’s  custom  to  ride  four  miles  out  of  Livorno  along  the 
sea- coast  to  the  point  where  he  was  erecting  a little  fort.  Not 
caring  to  be  troubled  with  a crowd  of  people,  he  liked  me 
to  converse  with  him.  So  then,  on  one  of  these  occasions, 
having  observed  him  pay  me  some  remarkable  attentions,  I 


43* 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


entered  into  the  affair  of  Sbietta  and  spoke  as  follows  : “ My 
lord,  I should  like  to  narrate  to  your  most  illustrious  Excel- 
lency a very  singular  incident,  which  will  explain  why  I was 
prevented  from  finishing  that  clay  model  of  Neptune  on 
which  I was  working  in  the  Loggia.  Your  Excellency  must 

know  that  I bought  a farm  for  my  life  from  Sbietta ” To 

cut  the  matter  short,  I related  the  whole  story  in  detail,  with- 
out contaminating  truth  with  falsehood.  Now  when  I came 
to  the  poison,  I remarked  that  if  I had  ever  proved  an  accept- 
able servant  in  the  sight  of  his  most  illustrious  Excellency,  he 
ought  not  to  punish  Sbietta  or  those  who  administered  the 
poison,  but  rather  to  confer  upon  them  some  great  benefit,  inas- 
much as  the  poison  was  not  enough  to  kill  me,  but  had  exactly 
sufficed  to  cleanse  me  of  a mortal  viscosity  from  which  I suf- 
fered in  my  stomach  and  intestines.  “ The  poison,’’  quoth  I, 
“ worked  so  well,  that  whereas,  before  I took  it,  I had  perhaps 
but  three  or  four  years  to  live,  I verily  believe  now  that  it  has 
helped  me  to  more  than  twenty  years  by  bettering  my  con- 
stitution. For  this  mercy  I return  thanks  to  God  with  greater 
heartiness  than  ever  ; and  this  proves  that  a proverb  I have 
sometimes  heard  spoken  is  true,  which  runs  as  follows  : — 

‘ God  send  us  evil  that  may  work  us  good.’” 

The  Duke  listened  to  my  story  through  more  than  two  miles 
of  travel,  keeping  his  attention  fixed,  and  only  uttering  : “ Oh, 
the  villains  ! ” I said,  in  conclusion,  that  I felt  obliged  to  them, 
and  opened  other  and  more  cheerful  subjects  of  conversation. 

I kept  upon  the  look-out  for  a convenient  day  ; and  when  I 
found  him  well  disposed  for  what  I wanted,  I entreated  his 
most  illustrious  Excellency  to  dismiss  me  in  a friendly  spirit, 
so  that  I might  not  have  to  waste  the  few  years  in  which  I 
should  be  fit  to  do  anything.  As  for  the  balance  due  upon  my 
Perseus,  he  might  give  this  to  me  when  he  judged  it  oppor- 
tune. Such  was  the  pith  of  my  discourse  : but  I expanded  it 
with  lengthy  compliments,  expressing  my  gratitude  toward 
his  most  illustrious  Excellency.  To  all  this  he  made  abso- 
lutely no  answer,  but  rather  seemed  to  have  taken  my  com- 
munication ill.  On  the  following  day  Messer  Bartolommeo 
Concino,^  one  of  the  Duke’s  secretaries,  and  among  the  chiefest, 

^ This  man  was  the  son  of  a peasant  at  Terranuova,  in  Valdarno.  He 
acquired  great  wealth  and  honour  at  the  court  of  Duke  Cosimo,  and  was  grand- 
father of  the  notorious  Marechal  d’Ancre. 


BOOK  SECOND 


439 


came  to  me,  and  said  with  somewhat  of  a bullying  air : 
“ The  Duke  bids  me  tell  you  that  if  you  want  your  dismissal, 
he  will  grant  it ; but  if  you  choose  work,  he  will  give  you 
plenty  : God  grant  you  may  have  the  power  to  execute  all  he 
orders.”  I replied  that  I desired  nothing  more  than  work  to 
do,  and  would  rather  take  it  from  the  Duke  than  from  any 
man  whatever  in  the  world.  Whether  they  were  popes, 
emperors,  or  kings,  I should  prefer  to  serve  his  most  illus- 
trious Excellency  for  a halfpenny  than  any  of  the  rest  of  them 
for  a ducat.  He  then  remarked  : “If  that  is  your  mind,  you 
and  he  have  struck  a bargain  without  the  need  of  further 
speech.  So,  then,  go  back  to  Florence,  and  be  unconcerned  ; 
rely  on  the  Duke^s  goodwill  towards  you.”  Accordingly  I 
made  my  way  again  to  Florence. 


CIX 

Immediately  after  my  arrival,  there  came  to  visit  me  a 
certain  Raffaellone  Scheggia,  whose  trade  was  that  of  a cloth- 
of-gold  weaver.  He  began  thus  : ‘‘  My  Benvenuto,  I should 
like  to  reconcile  you  with  Piermaria  Sbietta.”  I replied  that 
nobody  could  settle  the  affairs  between  us  except  the  Lords 
Counsellors  ; in  the  present  court  Sbietta  would  not  have  a 
Federigo  de’  Ricci  to  support  him,  a man  willing,  for  the 
bribe  of  a couple  of  fatted  kids,  without  respect  of  God  or 
of  his  honour,  to  back  so  infamous  a cause  and  do  so  vile  a 
wrong  to  sacred  justice.  When  I had  uttered  these  words, 
and  many  others  to  the  like  effect,  Raffaello  kept  on  blandly 
urging  that  it  was  far  better  to  eat  a thrush  in  peace  than  to 
bring  a fat  capon  to  one’s  table,  even  though  one  were  quite 
sure  to  get  it,  after  a hot  fight.  He  further  reminded  me  that 
lawsuits  had  a certain  way  of  dragging  on,  and  that  I could 
employ  the  time  far  better  upon  some  masterpiece  of  art, 
which  would  bring  me  not  only  greater  honour,  but  greater 
profit  to  boot.  I knew  that  he  was  speaking  the  mere  truth, 
and  began  to  lend  ear  to  his  arguments.  Before  long,  there- 
fore, we  arranged  the  matter  in  this  way  : Sbietta  was  to  rent 
the  farm  from  me  at  seventy  golden  crowns  in  gold  the  year 
during  the  whole  term  of  my  natural  life.  But  when  we 
came  to  the  contract,  which  was  drawn  up  by  Ser  Giovanni, 
son  of  Ser  Matteo  da  Falgano,  Sbietta  objected  that  the  terms 


440 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


we  had  agreed  on  would  involve  our  paying  the  largest  duties 
to  the  revenue.  He  was  not  going  to  break  his  word  ; there- 
fore we  had  better  draw  the  lease  for  five  years,  to  be  renewed 
on  the  expiry  of  the  term.  Fie  undertook  to  abide  by  his 
promise  to  renew,  without  raising  further  litigation.  That 
rascal,  the  priest,  his  brother,  entered  into  similar  engage- 
ments ; and  so  the  lease  was  drawn  for  five  years. 


CX 

Though  I want  to  enter  upon  other  topics,  and  to  leave 
all  this  rascality  alone  awhile,  I am  forced  to  narrate  what 
happened  at  the  termination  of  this  five  years’  contract.  In- 
stead of  abiding  by  their  promised  word,  those  two  rogues 
declared  they  meant  to  give  me  up  my  farm,  and  would  not 
keep  it  any  longer  upon  lease.  I not  unnaturally  complained, 
but  they  retorted  by  ostentatiously  unfolding  the  deed  ; and 
I found  myself  without  any  defence  against  their  chicanery. 
When  it  came  to  this,  I told  them  that  the  Duke  and  Prince 
of  Florence  would  not  suffer  folk  to  be  so  infamously  mas- 
sacred in  their  cities.  That  menace  worked  so  forcibly 
upon  their  minds  that  they  once  more  despatched  Raffaello 
Scheggia,  the  same  man  who  negotiated  the  former  arrange- 
ment. I must  add  that  they  professed  their  unwillingness 
to  pay  the  same  rent  of  seventy  crowns  as  during  the  five 
years  past,  while  I replied  that  I would  not  take  a farthing 
less.  So  then  Raffaello  came  to  look  me  up,  and  spoke  to 
this  effect : “ My  Benvenuto,  you  know  that  I am  acting  in 
your  interest.  Now  these  men  have  placed  themselves  en- 
tirely in  my  hands  ; ” and  he  showed  me  a writing  to  this 
effect  signed  by  them.  Not  being  aware  that  he  was  their 
close  relative,  I thought  he  would  be  an  excellent  arbitrator, 
and  therefore  placed  myself  also  absolutely  in  his  hands. 
This  man  of  delicate  honour  then  came  one  evening  about 
a half  hour  after  sunset,  in  the  month  of  August,  and  induced 
me  with  the  strongest  pressure  to  draw  up  the  contract  then 
and  there.  He  did  so  because  he  knew  that  if  he  waited  till 
the  morning,  the  deceit  he  wished  to  practise  on  me  must 
have  failed.  Accordingly  the  deed  was  executed,  to  the 
effect  that  they  were  to  pay  me  a rent  of  sixty-five  crowns, 
in  two  half-yearly  instalments,  during  the  term  of  my  natural 


BOOK  SECOND 


441 


life.  Notwithstanding  I rebelled  against  it,  and  refused  to 
sit  down  quietly  under  the  injustice,  all  was  to  no  purpose, 
Raffaello  exhibited  my  signature,  and  every  one  took  part 
against  me.  At  the  same  time  he  went  on  protesting  that  he 
acted  altogether  in  my  interest  and  as  my  supporter.  Neither 
the  notary  nor  any  others  who  heard  of  the  affair,  knew  that 
he  was  a relative  of  those  two  rogues  ; so  they  told  me  I was 
in  the  wrong.  Accordingly,  I was  forced  to  yield  with  the 
best  grace  I could  ; and  what  I have  now  to  do  is  to  live  as 
long  as  I can  manage. 

Close  after  these  events,  that  is  to  say,  in  the  December 
of  1566  following,  I made  another  blunder.  I bought  half 
of  the  farm  Del  Poggio  from  them,  or  rather  from  Sbietta, 
for  two  hundred  crowns.^  It  marches  with  my  property  of 
La  Fonte.  Our  terms  were  that  the  estate  should  revert  at 
the  term  of  three  years,^  and  I gave  them  a lease  of  it.  I 
did  this  for  the  best ; but  I should  have  to  dilate  too  long 
upon  the  topic  were  I to  enter  into  all  the  rascalities  they 
practised  on  me.  Therefore,  I refer  my  cause  entirely  to 
God,  knowing  that  He  hath  ever  defended  me  from  those 
who  sought  to  do  me  mischief. 


CXI 

Having  quite  completed  my  crucifix,  I thought  that  if  I 
raised  it  to  some  feet  above  the  ground,  it  would  show  better 
than  it  did  upon  a lower  level.  After  I had  done  so,  it  pro- 
duced a far  finer  effect  than  even  it  had  made  before,  and  I 
was  greatly  satisfied.  So  then  I began  to  exhibit  it  to  every 
one  who  had  the  mind  to  see  it. 

As  God  willed,  the  Duke  and  the  Duchess  heard  about 
it.  On  their  arrival  then  from  Pisa,  both  their  Excellencies 
arrived  one  day  quite  unexpectedly,  attended  by  all  the 
nobles  of  their  court,  with  the  sole  purpose  of  inspecting  my 
crucifix.  They  were  so  much  delighted,  that  each  of  these 
princes  lavished  endless  praises  on  it,  and  all  the  lords  and 
gentlefolk  of  their  suites  joined  in  chorus.  Now,  when  I 
saw  how  greatly  they  were  taken  with  the  piece,  I began  to 

^ Scudi  di  moneta,  not  d'oro. 

^ This  seems  to  be  the  meaning  of  comprare  con  riservo  di  tre  anni.  Cellini 
elsewhere  uses  the  equivalent  term  patto  resolutivo.  See  Tassi,  vol.  ii.  p.  583. 


442 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


thank  them  with  a touch  of  humour,  saying  that,  if  they  had 
not  refused  me  the  marble  for  the  Neptune,  I should  never 
have  undertaken  so  arduous  a task,  the  like  whereof  had  not 
been  attempted  by  any  sculptor  before  me.  “ It  is  true,”  I 
added,  “that  this  crucifix  has  cost  me  hours  of  unimagin- 
able labour ; yet  they  have  been  well  expended,  especially 
now  when  your  most  illustrious  Excellencies  have  bestowed 
such  praises  on  it.  I cannot  hope  to  find  possessors  of  it 
worthier  than  you  are  ; therefore  I gladly  present  it  to  you 
as  a gift.”i 

After  speaking  to  this  effect,  I prayed  them,  before  they 
took  their  leave,  to  deign  to  follow  me  into  the  ground-floor 
of  my  dwelling.  They  rose  at  once  with  genial  assent,  left 
the,  workshop,  and  on  entering  the  house,  beheld  my  little 
model  of  the  Neptune  and  the  fountain,  which  had  not  yet 
been  seen  by  the  Duchess.  This  struck  her  with  such  force 
that  she  raised  a cry  of  indescribable  astonishment,  and 
turning  to  the  Duke,  exclaimed  : “ Upon  my  life,  I never 
dreamed  it  could  be  one -tenth  part  so  beautiful!”  The 
Duke  replied  by  repeating  more  than  once  : “ Did  I not  tell 
you  so  ? ” Thus  they  continued  talking  together  for  some 
while  greatly  in  my  honour.  Afterwards  the  Duchess  called 
me  to  her  side  ; and  when  she  had  uttered  many  expressions 
of  praise  which  sounded  like  excuses  (they  might  indeed 
have  been  construed  into  asking  for  forgiveness),  she  told 
me  that  she  should  like  me  to  quarry  a block  of  marble  to 
my  taste,  and  then  to  execute  the  work.  In  reply  to  these 
gracious  speeches  I said  that,  if  their  most  illustrious  Ex- 
cellencies would  provide  me  with  the  necessary  accom- 
modations, I should  gladly  for  their  sakes  put  my  hand  to 
such  an  arduous  undertaking.  The  Duke  responded  on  the 
moment ; “ Benvenuto,  you  shall  have  all  the  accommodations 
you  can  ask  for  ; and  I will  myself  give  you  more  besides, 
which  shall  surpass  them  far  in  value.”  With  these  agree- 
able words  they  left  me,  and  I remained  highly  satisfied. 

^ The  Duchess  would  not  take  the  crucifix  as  a gift.  The  Duke  bought  it 
for  fifteen  hundred  golden  crowns,  and  transferred  it  to  the  Pitti  in  1565.  It 
was  given  by  the  Grand  Duke  Francesco  in  1576  to  Philip  II.,  who  placed  it 
in  the  Escorial,  where  it  now  is. 


BOOK  SECOND 


443 


CXII 

Many  weeks  passed,  but  of  me  nothing  more  was  spoken. 
This  neglect  drove  me  half  mad  with  despair.  Now  about 
that  time  the  Queen  of  France  sent  Messer  Baccio  del  Bene 
to  our  Duke  for  a loan  of  money,  which  the  Duke  very 
graciously  supplied,  as  rumour  went.  Messer  Baccio  del 
Bene  and  I had  been  intimate  friends  in  former  times  ; so 
when  we  renewed  our  acquaintance  in  Florence,  we  came 
together  with  much  mutual  satisfaction.  In  course  of  con- 
versation he  related  all  the  favours  shown  him  by  his  most 
illustrious  Excellency,  and  asked  me  what  great  works  I 
had  in  hand.  In  reply,  I narrated  the  whole  story  of  the 
Neptune  and  the  fountain,  and  the  great  wrong  done  me  by 
the  Duchess.  He  responded  by  telling  me  how  her  Majesty 
of  France  was  most  eager  to  complete  the  monument  of 
her  husband  Henri  II.,  and  how  Daniello  da  Volterra^  had 
undertaken  a great  equestrian  statue  in  bronze,  but  the 
time  had  already  elapsed  in  which  he  promised  to  perform  it, 
and  that  a multitude  of  the  richest  ornaments  were  required 
for  the  tomb.  If,  then,  I liked  to  return  to  France  and 
occupy  my  castle,  she  would  supply  me  with  all  the  con- 
veniences I could  ask  for,  provided  only  I cared  to  enter 
her  service.  These  proposals  he  made  on  the  part  of  the 
Queen.  I told  Messer  Baccio  to  beg  me  from  the  Duke  ; if 
his  most  illustrious  Excellency  was  satisfied,  I should  very 
willingly  return  to  France.  He  answered  cheerfully : “ We 
will  travel  back  together  ! ” and  considered  the  affair  settled. 
Accordingly,  next  day,  in  course  of  conversation  with  the 
Duke,  he  alluded  to  myself,  declaring  that  if  his  Excellency 
had  no  objection,  the  Queen  would  take  me  into  her  em- 
ploy. The  Duke  replied  without  a moments  hesitation  : 
“ Benvenuto’s  ability  in  his  profession  is  known  to  the 
whole  world ; but  at  the  present  time  he  does  not  care 
to  go  on  working.”  Then  they  touched  on  other  topics  ; 
and  upon  the  day  following  I called  on  Messer  Baccio, 
who  reported  what  had  passed  between  them.  Then  I 
lost  all  patience,  and  exclaimed : “Oh,  me ! His  most 
illustrious  Excellency  gave  me  nothing  to  do,  while  I was 

^ This  painter  is  chiefly  famous  for  his  “Descent  from  the  Cross”  in  the 
Church  of  the  Trinita  de’  Monti  at  Rome.  He  died  in  1566. 


444 


LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 


bringing  to  perfection  one  of  the  most  difficult  master- 
pieces ever  executed  in  this  Avorld  ; and  it  stands  me  in 
more  than  two  hundred  crowns,  which  I have  paid  out  of 
my  poverty  ! Oh,  what  could  I not  have  done  if  his  Ex- 
cellency had  but  set  me  to  work  ! I tell  you  in  pure  truth, 
that  they  have  done  me  a great  wrong  ! ” The  good-natured 
gentleman  repeated  to  the  Duke  what  I had  answered.  The 
Duke  told  him  we  were  joking,  and  that  he  wanted  me  for 
his  own  service.  The  result  was  that  in  my  irritation  I more 
than  once  made  up  my  mind  to  make  off  without  asking  leave. 
However,  the  Queen  preferred  to  drop  negotiations,  in  fear 
of  displeasing  the  Duke  ; and  so  I remained  here,  much  to 
my  regret. 


CXIII 

About  that  time  the  Duke  went  on  a journey,  attended  by 
all  his  court  and  all  his  sons,  except  the  prince,  who  was 
in  Spain.  They  travelled  through  the  Sienese  Maremma, 
and  by  this  route  he  reached  Pisa.  The  poison  from  the  bad 
air  of  those  marshes  first  attacked  the  Cardinal,  who  was 
taken  with  a pestilential  fever  after  a few  days,  and  died  at 
the  end  of  a brief  illness.  He  was  the  Duke’s  right  eye, 
handsome  and  good,  and  his  loss  was  most  severely  felt. 
I allowed  several  days  to  elapse,  until  I thought  their  tears 
were  dried,  and  then  I betook  myself  to  Pisa. 


APPENDIX 


NOTES 


ON  THE 

LIFE  OF  BENVENUTO  CELLINI 

AFTER  THE  YEAR  1562 


Cellini’s  autobiography  breaks  off  abruptly  just  at  the  point  when 
it  was  acquiring  considerable  importance  to  the  historian.  Students 
of  Florentine  annals  will  hardly  need  to  be  reminded  that  in  the 
autumn  of  1562  the  Cardinal  de’  Medici  died  suddenly  and  somewhat 
mysteriously  upon  a hunting  expedition  in  the  Pisan  marshes,  while 
Don  Garzia  de’  Medici  followed  him  to  the  grave  after  the  interval 
of  a few  days  at  Pisa.  Popular  rumour  asserted  that  the  Cardinal 
had  been  mortally  wounded  in  a quarrel  by  his  brother  Garzia,  and 
that  their  father,  the  Grand  Duke,  had  stabbed  the  latter  in  a fit  of 
murderous  rage.  The  death  of  the  Grand  Duchess  Leonora,  which 
took  place  shortly  afterwards,  was  ascribed,  not  to  her  natural  sorrow 
and  to  her  own  physical  infirmities,  but  to  the  horror  inspired  in  her 
by  these  domestic  crimes. 

There  is  little  doubt  that  all  three  deaths  were  natural ; and  Cellini’s 
interrupted  account  of  the  occurrences  very  materially  confirms  this 
view.  It  must,  however,  be  regretted  that  we  have  lost  the  narrative 
of  his  visit  to  Pisa.  The  intimate  relations  which  up  to  this  time  he 
maintained  with  the  Grand  Ducal  family,  gave  him  abundant  oppor- 
tunities for  discerning  the  truth  in  matters  which  concerned  them 
privately  ; nor  can  it  be  doubted  that  the  picture  he  would  probably 
have  drawn  of  their  domestic  affliction  must  have  been  dramatically 
impressive. 

Cellini  died  upon  the  13th  of  February  1570,  according  to  the  old 
Florentine  style,  or  in  1571,  according  to  our  modern  reckoning. 
Therefore  somewhat  more  than  seven  years  of  life  remained  for  him 
after  the  termination  of  his  Memoirs,  The  events  of  those  years  may 
be  to  a certain  extent  recovered  from  his  private  memoranda  or 
Ricordi,^  his  petitions  to  the  Medicean  princes  and  to  the  Soprasin- 
dachi  of  Florence,  and  a few  official  documents  which  mention  him. 

447 


448 


APPENDIX 


Some  Important  incidents  of  his  life  at  Florence  before  the  year 
1562,  omitted  for  unknown  reasons  in  his  autobiography,  have  also 
to  be  recorded.  We  find  that  at  the  close  of  1554  he  was  admitted 
to  the  Florentine  nobility.^  In  the  year  1556  he  was  twice  im- 
prisoned ; on  what  charges  cannot  be  precisely  ascertained,  though 
passages  in  his  poems  and  petitions  make  it  probable  that  on  one  at 
least  of  these  occasions,  he  was  accused  of  criminal  immorality.^ 
On  the  2nd  of  June  1558  he  took  the  first  tonsure,  without  however 
engaging  himself  irrevocably  to  the  ecclasiastical  state.^  From  those 
preliminary  vows  he  was  released  in  1560,  and  about  four  years  later 
he  married  a woman  who  is  named  Piera  di  Salvadore  Parigi  in  one 
of  his  RicordiJ^  She  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  same  who  behaved 
so  genially  at  the  time  when  the  Perseus  was  being  cast,  and  who 
nursed  him  through  the  illness  following  his  visit  to  Sbietta  in  1559. 
This  identification  is,  however,  to  say  the  least,  very  dubious.  The 
genealogical  table  printed  at  the  close  of  these  notes  will  inform  the 
reader  concerning  the  births  and  deaths  of  Cellini’s  children. 

During  the  year  1559  an  act  of  open-handed  charity  involved 
Cellini  in  a series  of  troublesome  entanglements,  which  deserve  to 
be  briefly  narrated.  A certain  woman  called  Dorotea,  the  wife  of 
Domenico  Parigi,  surnamed  Sputasenni,  had  long  served  him  for  a 
model.  Her  husband  was  a worthless  fellow,  who,  being  imprisoned 
in  the  Stinche  for  some  quarrel,  left  his  family  in  extreme  indigence.^ 
Cellini  received  Dorotea  and  her  son  Antonio  and  her  daughter 
Margherita  into  his  own  house  upon  the  8th  of  July.  There  he  sup- 
ported them,  at  the  same  time  paying  for  Sputasenni’s  board  in  prison, 
until  the  25th  of  December,  when  the  man  was  released.  His  kind- 
ness to  the  family  did  not  stop  here.  Eleven  months  later,  that  is 
to  say,  in  November  1560,  he  adopted  the  boy  Antonio  Sputasenni, 
giving  him  the  name  of  Nutino  (a  diminutive  of  Benvenutino),  and 
settling  upon  him  the  sum  of  one  thousand  crowns,  which  were  to 
be  paid  when  he  reached  the  age  of  eighteen,  provided  he  adopted  the 
profession  of  a sculptor.*^  This  boy  turned  out  stupid,  ill-conditioned, 
and  intractable.  Cellini  found  that  it  was  useless  to  educate  him  for 
any  art  or  trade.  Nothing  remained  but  to  make  him  a friar;  this 
being  the  natural  refuge  for  incorrigible  idlers  and  incapable  ne’er-do- 
weels.  Accordingly  he  was  established  among  the  novices  of fratini 
in  the  Franciscan  convent  of  the  Nunziata.  There  he  received  the 
name  of  Lattanzio  ; but  it  does  not  appear  that  he  pledged  himself 

1 Bianchi,  p.  592,  2 Bianchi,  p.  593. 

3 Bianchi,  p.  596.  ^ Bianchi,  p.  601. 

5 The  story  may  be  read  in  Cellini’s  petition  lo  the  Grand  Duke,  Bianchi,  Doc. 
,i.  of  Serie  Prima,  p.  542. 

See  Tassi  vol.  iii.  p.  8q, 


APPENDIX 


449 


to  enter  into  religion.^  Cellini  continued  to  exercise  parental  authority 
and  supervision  over  the  youth  ; and  one  of  his  chief  anxieties  was  to 
keep  him  from  the  contaminating  society  of  his  father.  This  good- 
for-nothing  fellow  had  been  residing  for  some  years  in  Pisa  ; but 
shortly  before  1569  he  returned  with  his  wife  to  Florence,  complained 
loudly  that  his  son  was  being  educated  for  a friar,  and  used  all  his 
influence  to  defeat  the  plans  Cellini  had  formed  for  Lattanzio’s  future. 
Cellini  forbade  Lattanzio  to  visit  his  father.  The  novice  disobeyed 
this  order;  and  early  in  the  spring  of  1569  Cellini  formally  disin- 
herited his  adopted  son,  and  washed  his  hands  of  the  affair.^  He 
was  not,  however,  easily  quit  of  these  troublesome  proteges.  In 
1570  Domenico  Sputasenni  instituted  a suit  against  Cellini,  in  order 
to  compel  him  to  maintain  the  young  man,  whom  we  must  now  again 
call  Antonio,  and  to  secure  a portion  of  the  adoptive  father’s  estate 
in  settlement.  The  action  went  against  the  defendant,  who  was  sen- 
tenced on  the  2nd  of  June  1570  to  provide  for  Antonio’s  support.^ 
Against  this  verdict  Cellini  appealed  to  the  Grand  Duke.  It  appears 
from  the  rescript  to  his  petition  that  his  estate  was  eventually  freed 
from  all  claims  on  the  part  of  Antonio  Sputasenni  ; but  Cellini  was 
obliged  to  pay  a yearly  allowance  during  his  own  lifetime  to  the 
young  man.^ 

During  the  whole  of  this  transaction  nothing  emerges  to  Cellini’s 
discredit ; nor  is  there  any  hint  that  Antonio  Sputasenni  was  regarded 
as  his  illegitimate  child.  On  the  contrary,  the  lad  is  described  as 
Hgliuolo  suo  adottivo  e legittimo  e naturale  di  Do7nenico  d^ Antonio 
Sputasenni  di  Firenze  in  the  adverse  sentence  of  June  2,  1570.  We 
have,  therefore,  the  right  to  assume  that  all  Cellini’s  dealings  with 
the  Sputasenni  family  were  prompted  by  simple  kind-heartedness. 
This,  like  his  natural  affection  for  his  sister  and  nieces,  which  deter- 
mined him  to  quit  the  service  of  King  Francis,  is  an  amiable  trait  in 
his  mixed  character.^ 

In  the  month  of  March  1561  (new  style)  Cellini  received  from  the 
Grand  Duke  a donation  of  his  house  in  the  Via  del  Rosaio.*^  The 
terms  in  which  Cosimo  de’  Medici  mentions  his  merit  as  “ an  artist 
in  bronze-casting  and  a sculptor  resplendent  with  incomparable  glory,’ 

1 He  is  afterwards  described  as  lo  sfratato  Fra  Lattanzio  by  the  judges  who 
decided  a case  in  his  favour,  June  2,  1570.  Bianchi,  p.  541. 

2 The  whole  story  may  best  be  read  in  Cellini’s  own  Ricordi  on  the  subject. 
Bianchi,  Doc.  xliii.  of  Serie  Prima,  p.  537. 

3 Bianchi,  p.  541. 

4 See  Cellini’s  petition,  Bianchi,  p.  542 ; Tassi,  vol.  iii.  p.  188  ; for  the  decree  of 
July  II,  1570,  compelling  him  to  maintain  Antonio  during  his  own  lifetime. 

^ It  ought  to  be  mentioned  that  the  woman  Cellini  married  before  1565,  Piera 
di  Salvadore  Parigi,  bore  the  same  family  name  as  these  Sputasenni. 

6 See  Carpani,  vol.  ii.  p.  462  ; Tassi,  vol.  iii.  p.  108.  This  document  is  omitted 
by  Molini  and  Bianchi.  But  I see  no  reason  to  doubt  its  genuineness. 

2 F 


450 


APPENDIX 


prove  that  he  was  at  this  time  high  in  favour  with  his  patron.  The 
gift  is  confirmed,  with  reversion  to  his  heirs,  by  a formal  deed  of 
February  5,  1563  (new  style).^ 

The  documents  relating  to  Cellini  during  the  last  decade  of  his 
life  prove  that  he  was  constantly  in  litigation  with  the  Grand  Duke 
regarding  payments  due  to  him  for  the  Perseus  and  other  works  of 
art.  It  appears  from  them  that,  whether  through  his  own  neglect  of 
art  or  through  the  indifference  of  his  princely  patrons,  he  ceased  to 
be  employed  on  undertakings  of  public  importance.  At  the  same 
time  we  gather  from  the  same  series  of  papers  that  he  engaged  in 
business  speculations  with  Florentine  goldsmiths,  and  that  he  invested 
some  capital  in  purchases  of  land.  The  state  of  his  health,  which 
was  never  robust  after  the  illness  of  1559-60,  combined  with  domestic 
cares,  seems  to  have  contributed  together  with  old  age  to  a suspension 
of  his  active  faculties. 

When  the  Florentines  prepared  their  splendid  obsequies  for  Michel 
Angelo  Buonarroti  in  the  Church  of  Sta.  Croce,  upon  the  i6th  of 
March  1564,  Cellini  was  chosen  together  with  Ammanati  to  represent 
the  art  of  Sculpture,  while  Bronzino  and  Vasari  walked  as  representa- 
tives of  Painting  in  the  funeral  procession."  Vasari  in  his  Life  of 
Michel  Angelo  relates  that  Cellini  was  prevented  by  ill-health  from 
attending  ; and  this  must  have  been  a sore  disappointment  to  one  who 
professed  so  sincere  a devotion  to  the  last  great  master  of  Italian  art. 
Indeed,  during  the  closing  years  of  his  existence,  Cellini  suffered 
from  many  pressing  maladies,  the  worst  and  most  persistent  of 
which  seems  to  have  been  the  gout.  After  making  several  wills 
during  the  four  previous  years,  he  dictated  his  last  testament  on  the 
1 8th  of  December  1570.  Codicils  were  added  successively  upon  the 
1 2th  of  January,  3rd  of  February,  and  6th  of  February  1571  ; and 
on  the  13th  of  that  month  he  breathed  his  last.  Upon  the  15th  he 
was  buried  with  public  honours  in  the  Church  of  the  Annunziata. 
In  the  course  of  the  ceremony  an  oration  was  delivered  “in  praise 
and  honour  of  his  life  and  works,  and  of  the  excellent  disposition  of 
his  soul  and  body.”  ^ He  left  a widow  and  two  legitimate  children 
to  deplore  his  loss. 

1 Bianchi,  p.  501.  2 Carpani,  vol.  ii.  p.  498. 

3 Bianchi,  p.  578. 


PEDIGREE  OF  THE  CELLINI 


APPENDIX 


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INDEX 


Acciaiuoli,  Carlo,  Master  of  the  Mint  at  Florence,  155. 

Accolti,  Benedetto,  Archbishop  of  Ravenna,  277. 

Agnolo,  Giuliano  d’,  420, 

Agnolo,  Michel,  a Sienese  sculptor,  52,  54,  56. 

Agnolo,  Michel,  goldsmith,  Cellini  placed  in  his  workshop,  10. 
Agostino,  tailor  to  the  Duke  of  Florence,  173. 

Alamanni,  Luigi,  poet,  83,  88,  262,  264,  303. 

Albizzi,  Girolamo  degli,  415  ; mediates  between  Cellini  and  the  Duke, 

415. 

Albret,  Henry  d’,  287. 

Aldobrandi,  Bertino,  96. 

Aleotti,  Giovanni,  Master  of  the  Wardrobe  to  Pope  Clement  VII., 
1 18. 

Alicorno,  Traiano,  Chamberlain  to  Pope  Clement  VII.,  89,  90,  119, 
143- 

Allegretti,  Antonio,  poet,  94,  162,  165. 

Allori,  Angelo  (II  Bronzino),  painter,  418  ; writes  sonnets  on  Cellini’s 
Perseus,  408,  418. 

Almeni,  Sforza.  See  Sforza. 

Altoviti,  Bindo,  Tuscan  Consul  at  Rome,  390. 

Alvarez,  Pietro,  of  Toledo,  Viceroy  of  Naples,  135. 

Amalfi,  Duke  of,  269-70. 

Ambruogio,  Secretary  to  Pope  Paul  III.,  162. 

Amerigo,  an  enameller,  45. 

Ammanato,  Bartolommeo,  sculptor,  422,  428,  435. 

Angelica,  the  Sicilian,  125,  126,  134,  136. 

Anguillara,  Count  of,  297. 

Anguillotto  of  Lucca,  96. 

Annebault,  Claude  d’.  Admiral  of  France,  327,  333. 

Antea,  Signora,  a Roman  courtesan,  102. 

Anterigoli,  Piermaria  (Lo  Sbietta),  429  ; Cellini  buys  a farm  from, 
430 ; attempts  to  poison  Cellini,  434 ; succeeds  in  swindling 
Cellini,  440. 

Antonio,  a music  master,  13. 

Arsago,  Pagolo,  Cellini  works  with,  24. 

453 


454  INDEX 

Ascanio,  apprentice  to  Cellini,  185,  186,  189,  193,  198,  210,  261,  265, 
268,  280,  308,  330,  332,  341  ; his  misconduct,  186. 

Averardo,  Serristori,  390,  392. 

Baccio  d’Agnolo,  Giulian  di,  399. 

Bachiacca,  II,  painter,  52,  61,  360. 

Baglioni,  Orazio,  General  of  Pope  Clement  VII.,  67,  72,  77. 

Balbo,  Girolamo,  Bishop  of  Gurck,  60. 

Baldini,  Bernardone,  jeweller  to  the  Duke  of  Florence,  358,  366,  368, 

398,  406,  409. 

Balducci,  Giacopo,  Master  of  the  Pope’s  Mint,  107. 

Bandinello,  Baccio,  sculptor,  10,  92,  351,  354,  355,  365,  370,  371,  374, 

399,  409,  418-420,  422-424,  427  ; his  statue  of  Hercules  and 
Cacus,  375  ; his  high  valuation  of  Cellini’s  Perseus,  419. 

Bandini,  Giovan,  103. 

Bargello,  the  chief  constable  in  Italian  towns,  96. 

Bartolini,  Archbishop  of  Pisa,  419. 

Bartolommeo,  surgeon,  married  to  Cellini’s  younger  sister,  79. 
Bastiano.  See  Del  Piombo. 

Bellarmati,  Girolamo,  military  architect,  333. 

Bembo,  Pietro,  man  of  letters,  189  ; his  kindness  to  Cellini,  190. 
Bendedio,  Alberto,  agent  of  the  Cardinal  of  Ferrara,  273,  275. 

Bene.  See  Del  Bene. 

Benedetto,  Ser,  a Sienese  notary,  130. 

Benintendi,  Niccolo,  149,  150  ; fixes  a quarrel  on  Cellini,  150. 
Benintendi,  Piero,  149,  1 51-153. 

Benvegnato  of  Perugia,  the"  Pope’s  Chamberlain,  63,  64. 

Berlinghieri,  Berlinghier,  99. 

Bernardi,  Giovanni,  a famous  maker  of  medals,  130. 

Bettini,  Baccio,  patron  of  the  arts,  177. 

Biliotti,  Zana  de’,  accountant  to  Pope  Clement,  105. 

Bologna,  Gian.,  sculptor,  428. 

Bourbon,  Constable  of,  his  attack  on  Rome  in  1526,  65  ; said  to  be 
killed  by  Cellini,  66. 

Bozza,  servant  in  Sant’  Angelo,  218,  237. 

Brandini,  Giovanbattista,  417. 

Bugiardini,  Giuliano,  painter,  83. 

Buonaccorsi,  Giuliano,  treasurer  to  Francis  I.,  357. 

Buonaccorti,  Giuliano,  197. 

Buonarroti,  Michel  Agnolo,  19,  30,  59,  375,  390-393  ; Torrigiani’s 
quarrel  with,  20 ; his  praise  of  Cellini,  82  ; his  David,  349. 
Busbacca,  a Florentine  courier,  191,  193,  195. 

Cagli,  Benedetto  da,  judge  in  criminal  cases,  205,  233. 

Capua,  Archbishop  of,  86- 


INDEX 


455 


Caradosso,  a maker  of  medals,  44,  58,  88. 

Carnesecchi,  Piero,  138. 

Caro,  Annibale,  a distinguished  writer,  94,  132,  162,  165. 

Carpi,  Giacomo  da,  a physician,  47;  his  treatment  of  the  “French 
disease,”  47. 

Carrucci  da  Portormo,  Jacopo,  painter,  praises  Cellini’s  Perseus,  408. 

Castel  del  Rio,  Mona  Fiore  da,  Cellini’s  housekeeper,  385,  388. 

Castoro,  Francesco,  a goldsmith,  12. 

Castro,  Duke  of.  See  Farnese,  Pier  Luigi. 

Caterina,  Cellini’s  model  and  mistress,  309-31 1,  313,  317-319,  323. 

Cavaletti,  Scipione,  Bolognese  illuminator,  13. 

Cellini,  the  coat-of-arms  of  the,  loi. 

Cellini,  Andrea,  grandfather  of  Benvenuto,  4. 

Cellini,  Benvenuto,  his  reasons  for  writing  his  own  life,  i ; his 
parentage,  2-4  ; his  supposed  ancestry,  3 ; his  birth  and  the 
reason  of  his  name,  6 ; miraculously  escapes  a scorpion,  6 ; sees 
a salamander,  7 ; is  taught  music,  7 ; is  placed  in  the  workshop 
of  a goldsmith,  10;  his  younger  brother’s  valour,  ii  ; banished 
from  Florence,  12  ; sent  to  Bologna  to  learn  music,  13  ; his  great 
distaste  for  music,  7,  10,  13,  17,  18  ; quarrels  with  his  father,  16 ; 
leaves  home  and  gets  employment  at  Pisa,  16  ; returns  home, 
18  ; his  friendship  with  Francesco  di  Filippo,  20  ; leaves  home 
again,  for  Rome,  21,  22  ; his  successful  work  with  II  Firenzuola,  23 ; 
his  furious  quarrel  with  Gherardo  Guasconti,  25-28  ; flees  to  Rome, 
30  ; works  for  the  Bishop  of  Salamanca,  30,  35  ; his  quarrel  with 
him,  39-41 ; his  commission  for  Madonna  Porzia,  wife  of  Gismondo 
Chigi,  31  ; her  generous  payment  of  him,  33,  34  ; becomes  a 
member  of  Pope  Clement’s  band,  37,  38  ; his  reflections  on  his 
own  abilities,  45,  58  ; his  marvellous  recovery  from  the  plague, 
49-51  ; his  escape  from  pirates,  51  ; his  practical  joke  at  a 
supper-party,  52-56  ; his  kindness  to  Luigi  Pulci,  and  the  shame- 
ful return  made  to  him,  59-65  ; fights  in  the  war  between 
Charles  V.  and  Francis  I.,  66;  claims  that  he  killed  the  Con- 
stable of  Bourbon,  66  ; takes  charge  of  the  artillery  in  the  Castle 
of  S.  Angelo,  67-68  ; some  of  his  exploits,  67-77  ; nearly  kills 
Cardinals  Farnese  and  Salviati  by  mischance,  71  ; melts  down 
the  jewels  of  the  Pope  to  save  them,  75  ; goes  to  Mantua,  79 ; 
praised  by  Michel  Angelo,  83  ; takes  service  under  Pope  Clement 
against  Florence,  84,  85  ; his  success  in  designing  a button  for 
Pope  Clement’s  cope,  88-91,  109  ; makes  dies  for  Pope  Clement’s 
coinage,  92,  107  ; is  made  stamp-master  in  the  Pope’s  Mint,  93 ; 
erects  a monument  to  his  brother,  100,  loi  ; murders  the  soldier 
who  shot  his  brother,  102  ; opens  a shop  in  Rome,  103  ; his  shop 
robbed,  104,  105  ; made  a mace-bearer  to  the  Pope,  109 ; offends 
Pope  Clement,  112,  113  ; his  eyesight  gives  way,  114;  gets  the 


456 


INDEX 


sickness,  ii6  ; recovers  his  health,  ii6  ; deprived  of  his  place  in 
the  Mint,  119;  arrested  by  the  Pope’s  orders,  120;  his  adven- 
tures with  a necromancer,  126  ; wounds  Benedetto,  the  notary, 
and  is  reported  to  have  slain  Tobbia,  131  ; flees  from  Rome,  132  ; 
goes  to  Naples,  134  ; returns  to  Rome,  137  ; taken  into  favour  by 
Pope  Clement,  139  ; kills  Pompeo,  142  ; taken  into  favour  by 
Pope  Paul  IIP,  and  ordered  to  strike  his  coins,  144;  his  life 
attempted  by  a Corsican,  146  ; forced  to  leave  Rome,  goes  to 
Florence,  14S  ; takes  a journey  to  Venice,  149-152  ; a quarrel 
fastened  on  him  by  Niccolo  Benintendi,  150;  rudely  treated  by 
a landlord,  153  ; in  revenge  cuts  four  beds  to  pieces,  154  ; makes 
dies  for  Alessandro  de’  Medici,  155  ; returns  to  Rome,  160;  his 
attempted  arrest  by  the  Bargello,  160  ; receives  a pardon  for  his 
killing  of  Pompeo,  163  ; has  a dangerous  illness,  163  ; sonnet  on 
him  by  Benedetto  Varchi,  167  ; recovers  from  his  illness,  170  ; 
employed  by  Pope  Paul  III.  on  a present  to  Charles  V.,  178  ; makes 
a famous  foil  for  the  Pope’s  diamond,  182  ; has  a narrow  escape 
from  drowning,  192,  193  ; saves  the  life  of  a French  scrivener, 
199  ; arrested  on  a false  charge  of  stealing  the  Pope’s  jewels,  204  ; 
account  of  his  examination,  204-208  ; his  imprisonment  by  Pope 
Paul  III.,  209-219  ; his  escape,  219-224 ; his  re-capture,  232 ; con- 
veyed to  the  Torre  di  Nona,  232  ; his  cruel  imprisonment  in  Sant’ 
Angelo,  235  ; has  an  extraordinary  vision,  244  ; a plot  to  poison 
him  fails,  250  ; his  sonnet  to  the  Castellan  of  Sant’  Angelo,  247  ; 
an  aureole  rests  upon  his  head,  254  ; his  Capitolo  to  Luca  Martini, 
254  ; engaged  in  the  service  of  the  Cardinal  of  Ferrara,  261  ; his 
quarrel  with  the  postmaster  at  Siena,  267  ; goes  to  Paris  to  the 
court  of  Francis  I.,  278  ; his  emoluments  from  the  King,  282  ; 
installed  in  the  castle  of  Le  Petit  Nesle,  283  ; visited  in  his 
workshop  by  the  King,  287 ; narrowly  escapes  being  murdered 
while  carrying  home  gold,  291 ; his  success  in  casting  bronze, 
294;  receives  letters  of  naturalisation  from  Francis  I.,  295  ; his 
high  favour  with  the  King,  301  ; incurs  the  ill-will  of  Madame 
d’Etampes,  301  ; worried  by  a lawsuit,  306;  his  means  of  extri- 
cating himself,  308;  tried  for  a criminal  offence,  313;  his  quarrel 
with  Primatlccio  (II  Bologna),  315;  his  revenge  on  Micceri  and 
his  model  Caterina,  318;  makes  a statue  of  Jupiter  for  Francis  I., 
329;  his  colossal  statue  of  Mars,  332;  rebuked  by  the  King, 
defends  his  conduct,  336;  his  departure  from  France,  341; 
arrives  at  Florence,  346;  undertakes  his  famous  statue  of  Per- 
seus for  Cosimo  de’  Medici,  348 ; writes  a letter  to  the  King  of 
France  defending  his  conduct,  357;  accused  of  an  unnatural 
crime,  361  ; flees  to  Venice,  362;  returns  to  Florence,  363;  death 
of  his  illegitimate  son,  371  ; his  great  quarrel  with  Bandinelli,  374 ; 
his  casting  of  the  Perseus,  383 ; loses  the  favour  of  the  Duchess 


INDEX 


457 


of  Florence,  395-398  ; his  Perseus  wins  great  praise  when  ex- 
hibited to  the  people,  408-410;  the  Duke’s  promises  to  him, 
410,  41 1 ; which  are  not  kept,  414;  goes  a pilgrimage  of  thanks 
for  the  success  of  his  Perseus,  412  ; buys  a farm  from  Lo  Sbietta, 
430;  Lo  Sbietta  attempts  to  poison  him,  433;  his  death,  447; 
account  of  events  not  included  in  his  autobiography,  447-450. 

Cellini,  Cecchino,  brother  of  Benvenuto,  15,  16,  81,  96;  his  valour, 
II  ; banished  for  quarrelling,  12  ; wounded  in  an  encounter  with 
the  guard  of  the  Bargello,  98  ; dies  of  his  wound,  100  ; Benvenuto 
erects  a monument  to,  100  ; his  epitaph,  100. 

Cellini,  Cosa,  sister  of  Benvenuto,  79. 

Cellini,  Cristofano,  3. 

Cellini,  Elisabetta,  mother  of  Benvenuto,  2,  4. 

Cellini,  Giovanni,  father  of  Benvenuto,  2,  4 ; a musician,  4 ; makes 
musical  instruments,  7 ; his  epigram  on  the  Medici,  9 ; his 
prophecy  regarding  Piero,  a pupil  who  insults  him,  14  ; insists  on 
Benvenuto’s  studying  music,  7,  10,  13,  17  ; his  pleasure  in  his 
son’s  success,  36  ; dies  of  the  plague,  81. 

Cellini,  Liperata,  sister  of  Benvenuto,  81,  166,  171. 

Cellini,  Luca,  a valiant  soldier,  3. 

Cellini,  Piera,  wife  of  Benvenuto,  448. 

Cennini,  Bastiano,  157. 

Centano,  Andrea,  229. 

Ceri,  Rienzo  da,  43. 

Cesano,  Gabriel,  262,  264. 

Cesare,  workman,  412. 

Cesena,  Giangiacomo  of,  a musician,  37. 

Ceserino,  Gabbriello,  a patron  to  Cellini,  42. 

Cesi,  Agnolo  da,  196. 

Charles  V.,  178,  179,  325,  333  ; war  between  Francis  Land,  in  1521,65. 

Cherubino,  a famous  clockmaker,  265. 

Chigi,  Agostino,  30. 

Chigi,  Gismondo,  30. 

Chigi,  Madonna  Porzia,  wife  of  Gismondo,  31,  42  ; her  generous 
payment  of  Cellini,  33. 

Chioccia,  Bartolommeo,  workman  employed  by  Cellini,  309. 

Cibo,  Cardinal  Innocenzio,  41. 

Cibo,  Lorenzo,  148. 

Cioli,  Francesco  (II  Moschino),  428. 

Cioli,  Simone,  sculptor,  428. 

Cisti,  captain  in  the  Bande  Nere,  96. 

Clement  VI L,  Pope,  37,  41,  178  ; attacked  by  the  Colonnas,  and  driven 
into  the  castle  of  S.  Angelo,  65  ; makes  war  on  Florence,  83  ; 
Cellini  takes  service  under  him,  85  ; his  quarrel  with  Cellini,  113- 
125  ; takes  Cellini  into  favour  again,  139  ; his  death,  141. 


458 


INDEX 


Colonna,  Stefano,  373. 

Concino,  Bartolommeo,  438. 

Conversini,  Benedetto,  of  Pistoja,  Governor  of  Rome,  204,  225. 
Cornaro,  Cardinal  Francesco,  42,  143,  170,  214,  223,  229, 

Cortese,  Tommaso,  Pope  Clement’s  Datary,  92. 

Crespino,  the  Bargello,  204. 

Croce,  Baccino  della,  125. 

Danti,  Vincenzio,  sculptor,  428. 

Del  Bene,  Albertaccio,  one  of  Cellini’s  friends,  141,  142,  189. 

Del  Bene,  Baccio,  443. 

Del  Bene,  Ricciardo,  197. 

Del  Guasto,  Alfonso,  Marchese,  183. 

Del  Moro,  Raffael,  goldsmith,  85,  93,  183. 

Del  Nazaro,  Mattio,  a Veronese  in  the  service  of  Francis  I.,  310. 

Del  Nero,  Francesco,  servant  of  Pope  Clement  VII.,  105,  106. 

Del  Piffero,  Cecchino.  See  Cellini,  Cecchino. 

Del  Piffero,  Ercole,  13. 

Del  Piombo,  Sebastian,  celebrated  painter,  94,  109,  iii. 

Del  Sansovino,  Giacopo,  sculptor.  See  Tatti. 

Della  Barca,  Giacopino,  84,  86,  87. 

Della  Chiostra,  Ulivieri,  16. 

Della  Sciorina,  Giacopo,  called  Barca,  84,  86,  87. 

Della  Tacca,  Giovan  Francesco,  Milanese  goldsmith,  228. 

Diego,  a Spanish  youth,  53. 

Donatello,  364  ; his  Judith  and  Holofernes,  349. 

Donnino,  a goldsmith,  108. 

Duranti,  Durante,  Chamberlain  of  Pope  Paul  III.,  180,  248;  plots 
Cellini’s  death,  248. 

Ercole  del  Piffero,  13. 

Este,  Ippolito  d’.  Cardinal  of  Ferrara,  197,  201,  202,  252,  261,  264,  273, 
278,  286,  288,  289,  325,  340. 

Estoteville,  Jean  d’,  Provost  of  Paris,  283. 

Etampes,  Madame  d’,  mistress  of  Francis  L,  2S7,  297,  305,  315,  334, 
338,  339  ; Cellini  incurs  her  ill-will,  301  ; her  machinations  against 
Cellini,  327,  330,  334,  335. 

Fa,  Jacques  de  la,  314. 

Fagiulo,  Girolamo,  119. 

Fano,  Lodovico  da,  94,  162,  165. 

Farnese,  Cardinal  Alessandro  (afterwards  Pope  Paul  III.),  71,  252. 
Farnese,  Jeronima,  wife  of  Pier  Luigi,  232. 

Farnese,  Pier  Luigi,  son  of  Pope  Paul  III.,  203,  227,  248,  345. 
Faustina,  sister  of  Cellini’s  apprentice  Paulino,  36. 


INDEX 


459 

Felice,  Cellini’s  partner,  125,  130,  160,  164,  166,  167,  171,  174,  175, 
188,  201,  213. 

Fiaschino,  Chamberlain  to  the  Duke  of  Ferrara,  274. 
f'ilippo,  Francesco  di,  his  friendship  with  Cellini,  20,  24. 

Fiorino,  one  of  Caesar’s  captains,  Cellini  claims  descent  from,  3. 
Firenzuola,  Giovanni,  goldsmith,  22-24. 

Florence,  built  in  imitation  of  Rome,  2 ; Cellini’s  apocryphal  deriva- 
tion of  its  name,  2 ; attacked  by  Pope  Clement,  83,  88. 

Foiano,  Fra  Benedetto  da,  a priest  who  was  starved  to  death  in 
prison,  240. 

Fontainebleau,  Nymph  of,  cast  by  Cellini,  321. 

Fontana,  Domenico,  jeweller  in  Naples,  135. 

Foppa,  Ambrogio.  See  Caradosso. 

Francis  I.  of  France,  278,  354,  357  ; war  between  Charles  V.  and,  in 
1521,  65  ; his  patronage  of  Cellini,  279. 

Franzesi,  Mattio,  poet,  164,  165. 

Fusconi,  Francesco,  a famous  physician,  163,  166-168. 

Gaddi,  Agnolino,  126-128. 

Gaddi,  Cardinal  de’,  70,  203. 

Gaddi,  Giovanni,  Clerk  of  the  Camera,  94,  95,  109,  132,  160,  164-167. 
Gaio,  a foolish  Milanese  jeweller,  182,  183. 

Galleotti,  Pietro  Pagolo,  goldsmith,  157,  159,  173. 

Galluzzi,  Bernardo,  253. 

Gambetta,  a prostitute,  makes  a shameful  charge  against  Cellini, 

361- 

Gattinara,  Gio.  Bartolommeo  di,  207. 

Giangiacomo,  of  Cesena,  musician,  36. 

Giannotti,  Giannotto,  22. 

Giliolo,  Girolamo,  Treasurer  of  the  Duke  of  Ferarra,  272,  273, 

Ginori,  Federigo,  82,  88. 

Giovanni,  Pier,  a chamberlain  to  Pope  Clement,  120. 

Giovenale,  Latino,  de’  Manetti.  See  Juvenale. 

Girolamo,  Fra,  26. 

Gonzaga,  Ercole,  Cardinal,  80. 

Gonzaga,  Federigo,  Marquis  of  Mantua,  79. 

Gonzaga,  Ippolito,  341. 

Gorini,  Lattanzio,  351,  352,  370,  400. 

Granacci,  Elisabetta,  mother  of  Cellini,  2,  4. 

Granacci,  Stefano,  2,  4. 

Grolier,  Jean,  328. 

Guadagni,  Felice.  See  Felice. 

Guasconti,  the,  Cellini’s  quarrel  with,  25. 

Guidi,  Giacopo,  secretary  to  Cosimo  de’  Medici,  415. 

Guidi,  Guido,  physician  to  Francis  I.,  friend  to  Cellini,  303,  342,354 


460 

Henry  II.  of  France,  287. 


INDEX 


II  Bachiacca.  See  Verdi,  Francesco. 

II  Bronzino.  See  Allori,  Angelo. 

II  Caradosso.  See  Caradosso. 

II  Fattore,  painter,  30,  35. 

II  Lamentone.  See  Lamentone. 

II  Magalotto.  See  Magalotti,  Gregorio. 

II  Moschino.  See  Chioli,  Francesco. 

II  Rosso,  painter,  42,  51,  196,  197,  306,  329, 

II  Tribolino.  See  Pericoli,  Niccolo  de’. 

Jacomo,  of  Perugia,  a surgeon,  223. 

Jacopo,  of  Carpi,  surgeon,  47,  276. 

Julius  III.,  Pope,  390. 

Juvenale,  Latino,  poet,  145,  178,  184. 

Lamentone,  II,  courier  from  Florence  to  Venice,  149,  151. 
Landi,  Antonio,  358,  359,  368. 

Landi,  Pier,  dear  friend  of  Cellini,  82,  85,  171. 

Lastricati,  Alessandro,  386. 

Lautizio,  seal-engraver,  44,  262. 

Leo  X.,  Pope,  9. 

Leoni,  Leone,  a goldsmith,  249. 

Lionardo  da  Vinci,  19,  282. 

Lippi,  Fra  Filippo,  20. 

Lippi,  Francesco,  20. 

Lorraine,  John  of,  Cardinal,  287,  288,  301,  302. 

Lucagnolo,  a goldsmith,  30;  his  rivalry  with  Cellini,  32-35. 
Luigi,  Pier,  son  of  Pope  Paul  III.  See  Farnese,  Pier  Luigi. 

Macaroni,  a Roman  workman  employed  by  Cellini,  312. 
Macherone,  Cesare,  a forger,  107,  108. 

Machiavelli,  his  epitaph  on  Piero  Soderini,  8,  7iote. 

Magon,  Antoine  le,  secretary  to  Margaret  of  Navarre,  295. 
Maffio,  captain  of  the  Bargello’s  guard,  98,  99. 

Magalotti,  an  exile  at  Ferrara,  151,  152. 

Magalotti,  Gregorio,  Governor  of  Rome,  120. 

Mannellini,  Bernardino,  workman  to  Cellini,  356,  362,  384. 
Manno,  an  excellent  workman,  170. 

Mantua,  Federigo  Gonzago,  Marquis  of,  79. 

Marcone,  the  goldsmith,  18  ; Cellini  apprenticed  to,  ii. 
Margaret  of  Austria,  222,  234. 

Marmagna,  Monsignor  di,  285. 

Marretti,  Girolamo,  a Sienese,  82. 


INDEX  461 

Martini,  Luca,  man  of  letters,  172 ; Cellini  addresses  a Capitolo  to,  254. 
Martino,  Piero  di,  a rascally  goldsmith,  369. 

Massone,  Antonio.  See  Magon,  Antoine  le. 

Maurizio,  Ser,  Chancellor  of  Florence,  149. 

Medici,  the  family  of,  friendly  to  Cellini  and  his  father,  7-9. 

Medici,  Alessandro  de’,  Duke  of  Florence,  99,  148  ; Cellini  makes 
dies  for,  15 5-1 59;  murdered  by  Lorenzino,  176. 

Medici,  Caterina  de’,  287. 

Medici,  Cosimino  de’,  Duke  of  Florence,  ii,  148,  177,  347;  Cellini 
makes  his  famous  statue  of  Perseus  for  him,  348  ; his  promises  to 
Cellini,  410,  41 1. 

Medici,  Ferdinando  de’,  son  of  Cosimo,  404. 

Medici,  Francesco  de’,  son  of  Cosimo,  404,  436. 

Medici,  Garzia  de’,  son  of  Cosimo,  404. 

Medici,  Giovanni  de’  (Pope  Leo  X.),  9. 

Medici,  Giovanni  de’,  son  of  Cosimo,  404. 

Medici,  Giovannino  de’,  ii. 

Medici,  Giuliano  de’,  9. 

Medici,  Giulio  de’.  See  Clement  VII. 

Medici,  Ippolito  de’,  132,  135,  137,  143,  144. 

Medici,  Lorenzino  de’,  1 57-1 59,  174,  363;  murders  the  Duke  Ales- 
sandro, 176. 

Medici,  Lorenzo  de’,  the  Magnificent,  7. 

Medici,  Ottaviano  de’,  157,  158,  172,  173. 

Medici,  Piero  de’,  7. 

Micceri,  Pagolo,  workman  employed  by  Cellini,  309  ; his  hypocrisy, 
310  ; Cellini’s  revenge  on,  318. 

Michel  Angelo.  See  Buonarroti. 

Michele,  a goldsmith,  215. 

Micheletto,  an  engraver  of  jewels,  88. 

Mirandola,  Count  of,  297,  344. 

Monaldi,  Sandrino,  237,  240. 

Monte  Aguto,  Niccolo  da,  148,  17 1,  173. 

Montelupo,  RafFaello  da,  67. 

Monte  Varchi,  Benedetto  da,  poet,  29  ; his  sonnet  on  Cellini’s  reported 
death,  165,  167. 

Monte  Varchi,  Francesco  da,  physician,  172,  435. 

Montluc,  Jean  de,  209,  252. 

Montorsoli,  Giov.  Angelo,  410. 

Nardi,  Jacopo,  the  historian,  149,  150. 

Navarre,  King  of,  288,  330. 

Niccolo,  goldsmith,  of  Milan,  79. 

Nobili,  Antonio  de’,  416. 

Norcia,  Francesco  da,  a famous  physician,  163,  166-170. 


462 


INDEX 


Orazio  Baglioni.  See  Baglioni. 

Orbech,  Vicomte  d’,  286,  289. 

Orsini,  Cardinal,  76. 

Orsino,  Gierolimo,  Duke  of  Bracciano,  202. 

Paccalli,  Giuliano,  392. 

Pagolo,  apprentice  of  Cellini,  262,  265,  268,  269,  280,  309,  341. 
Pallavicini,  a friar,  210. 

Pantasilea,  a prostitute,  52,  60,  61. 

Particino,  a wood-carver,  399. 

Pascucci,  Girolamo,  a Perugian  workman  employed  by  Cellini,  188, 
201,  203,  215. 

Pasqualino  d’ Ancona,  399. 

Paul  IIP,  Pope,  144,  203,  224,  247,  252,  271  ; takes  Cellini  into 
favour,  144  : employs  Cellini  on  a present  to  Charles  V.,  178  ; 
desires  Cellini’s  death,  209. 

Paulino,  Cellini’s  boy,  36. 

Pavia,  Bishop  of,  342. 

Pecci,  Pier  Antonio,  of  Siena,  137. 

Pedignone,  servant  in  Sant’  Angelo,  218. 

Penni.  See  II  Fattore. 

Pericoli,  Niccolo  de’,  a Florentine  sculptor,  148-153. 

Pilli,  Rafifaello  de’,  surgeon,  379,  435. 

Piloto,  goldsmith,  59,  142. 

Pitigliano,  Count  of,  297. 

Plague,  great,  in  Rome,  45  ; Cellini’s  marvellous  recovery  from,  49-51. 
Poggini,  Gianpagolo  and  Domenico,  eminent  die-casters,  356,  360, 
366,  368. 

Polverino,  Jacopo,  417. 

Pompeo,  a Milanese  jeweller,  89,  119,  124,  131,  133,  145;  picks  a 
quarrel  with  Cellini,  141  ; slain  by  Cellini,  142. 

Primaticcio,  Francesco,  a Bolognese  painter,  305,  315,  319,  323,  329. 
Prinzivalle  della  Stufa,  an  upright  judge,  26,  27. 

Pucci,  Antonio,  Cardinal,  214. 

Pucci,  Roberto,  112,  224. 

Pulci,  Luigi,  Cellini’s  kindness  to,  59  ; his  shameful  ingratitude,  61  ; 
his  death,  65. 

Quistelli,  Alfonso,  417,  437. 

Rastelli,  Giacomo,  a famous  surgeon,  93. 

Ravenna,  Archbishop  of,  70. 

Recalcati,  Ambrogio,  Secretary  to  Pope  Paul  III.,  162. 

Renzo  di  Ceri,  67. 

Riccio,  Pier  Francesco,  Majordomo  of  the  Duke  of  Florence,  351,  352, 
388,  393  ; his  malice  against  Cellini,  352. 


INDEX 


463 


Ridolfi,  Cardinal,  42. 

Romano,  Giulio,  52,  56,  79. 

Romoli,  Vincenzio,  Cellini’s  servant,  126-128,  160,  168. 

Rossi,  Gio.  Girolamo  de’.  Bishop  of  Pavia,  250,  303. 

Ruberta,  Cellini’s  servant,  320. 

Rucellai,  Luigi,  143. 

St.  Paul,  Francois  de  Bourbon,  Comte  de,  338. 

Salamanca,  Bishop  of,  Cellini  works  for,  30,  35  ; his  impatience,  38  ; 

delays  paying  Cellini,  39-41. 

Salimbene,  Francesco,  Cellini  works  with,  21,  24. 

Salviati,  Alamanno,  416. 

Salviati,  Giacopo,  50,  71. 

Salviati,  Cardinal  Giovanni,  42,  112,  117,  277. 

Salviati,  Piero,  421. 

Sanga,  Battista,  Secretary  to  Pope  Clement,  95. 

San  Gallo,  Antonio  da,  a famous  architect,  196. 

San  Gallo,  Francesco  da,  sculptor,  399. 

Sansovino,  Giacopo  del.  See  Tatti. 

Santacroce,  Antonio,  chief  of  the  Pope’s  gunners,  76. 

Santa  Fiore.  See  Sforza,  Ascanio. 

Sauthier,  Pierre,  a famous  printer,  304. 

Savello,  Giovanbatista,  133. 

Savoy,  Duchess  of,  330. 

Sbietta,  Lo.  See  Piermaria  Anterigoli. 

Scheggia,  RafFaellone,  439,  440. 

Schio,  Girolamo,  confidential  agent  of  Pope  Clement,  105,  iii. 
Schomberg,  Nicholas,  Bishop  of  Capua,  86. 

Scorzone,  model  and  mistress  to  Cellini,  324. 

Sforza,  Almeni,  Chamberlain  of  the  Duke  of  Florence,  372,  410,  412 
Sforza,  Ascanio,  Cardinal  Santa  Fiore,  227. 

Sforza,  Sforza,  185. 

Sguazzella,  a Florentine  painter,  with  whom  Cellini  lodged  in  Paris,  197 
Soderini,  Francesco,  174,  176. 

Soderini,  Piero,  8 ; his  good-will  to  Cellini  and  his  father,  9 ; Machia- 
velli’s  epitaph  on,  8. 

Solosmeo,  Antonio,  of  Settignano,  sculptor,  133,  136. 

Strozzi,  Cattivanza  degli,  96. 

Strozzi,  Filippo,  75,  191. 

Strozzi,  Piero,  a noted  soldier,  295,  297,  339. 

Stufa,  Pandolfo  della,  419. 

Targhetta,  Miliano,  a famous  Venetian  jeweller,  t8i. 

Tasso,  Giovan  Battista  del,  wood-carver,  21,  351,  399. 

Tatti,  Giacopo,  a famous  sculptor,  148,  152,  362  ; his  ill-treatment  of 
II  Tribolino,  152. 


464 


INDEX 


Titian.  362. 

Tobbia,  a Milanese  goldsmith,  117,  120,  124. 

Torello,  Lelio,  420. 

Tornon,  Cardinal  de,  265. 

Torrigiani,  Piero,  sculptor,  18;  the  legend  of  his  death,  18  ; his  quarrel 
with  Michel  Angelo,  20. 

Trotti,  Alfonso  de’,  a dilettante  of  the  arts,  275. 

Ugolini,  Antonio,  248,  251,  253. 

Ugolini,  Giorgio,  Castellan  of  Sant’  Angelo,  209,  225,  235,  241,  242  ; 

his  odd  fancies,  215. 

Ugolini,  Piero,  248. 

Urbino,  servant  of  Michel  Angelo,  392. 

Urbino,  Francesco,  Duke  of,  fails  to  help  Pope  Clement,  70, 

Urbino,  Gian  di,  a captain  in  the  war  against  Pope  Clement,  74. 
Urbino,  Raffaello  da,  30,  196. 

Valenti,  Benedetto,  Procurator-Fiscal  of  Rome,  120,  121. 

Valori,  Bartolommeo,  iii,  112. 

Varchi,  Benedetto  da  Monte.  See  Monte  Varchi. 

Vasari,  Giorgio,  painter,  architect,  and  historian,  17 1,  173,  428. 
Vasona,  Bishop  of.  See  Schio,  Girolamo. 

Vassellario,  Giorgetto,  of  Arezzo.  See  Vasari. 

Vega,  Juan  de.  Viceroy  of  Sicily,  410. 

Veneziano,  Bastiano.  See  Del  Piombo. 

Verdi,  Francesco  (II  Bachiacca),  52,  61. 

Vergezio,  Giovanni,  94,  162. 

Villerois,  Monsignor  di,  284. 

Vinci,  Lionardo  da,  19,  282. 

Volterra,  Daniello  da,  painter,  443. 


THE  END 


Printed  by  R.  & R,  Clark,  Limited,  Edinburgh, 


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